


Search for the Monocle

by ericsonclan



Series: OG World [24]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 27,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23485444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: Prisha and Aasim come back to Ericson with news that there's a possibility of getting Violet glasses to partly restore her sight... but the town is over 100 miles away. Is it worth the risk?
Relationships: AJ | Alvin Jr. & Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Aasim/Ruby (Walking Dead: Done Running), Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Louis & Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running), Prisha & Willy (Walking Dead: Done Running), Prisha/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: OG World [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815361
Kudos: 15





	1. New Hope

**Author's Note:**

> The longest arc I've ever written! There's a lot of heart put into it - I hope you enjoy!
> 
> (by Laura)

It looked like it was going to end up being a normal day at Ericson. Chores were done, dinner was ready, and everyone was settling down to eat when Prisha and Aasim returned from their meeting with the latest caravan to stop by the outpost. Prisha immediately announced that she had big news, but they should get dinner over with first before discussing it. Everyone seemed amenable to this idea (though Omar was a tad salty about dinner being referred to as something to “get over with”) and dinner proceeded as usual, the only difference being the unspoken buzz of excitement they all felt at her announcement.

Once they had finished their meals and cleared the tables, Prisha stood up in front of them all, fished some sort of paper out of her back pocket, and slammed it onto the table.

“Everyone,” Prisha looked excitedly amongst them all. “You won’t believe it. We finally found someone who can make glasses for Violet!”

There was a stir among the group at the news. It had been a goal of theirs for years now to find some sort of glasses to help improve Violet’s eyesight in her left eye. They’d tried scavenging the surrounding buildings, checking walker corpses, and asking every caravan they made contact with if they had glasses to trade. Almost every endeavor came up empty, and the spectacles they had gotten their hands on were all filthy, broken, and the completely wrong prescription. They had unwillingly come to the conclusion that the only way Violet would get working glasses was if they could find someone with the expertise and equipment to make her a customized set. That had always felt like a pipe dream. Had Prisha found someone who could make it come true?

“That’s fantastic!” Clementine exclaimed. “Are they travelling with the caravan?”

Prisha hesitated a second more than was comfortable before Aasim answered the question. “No, that’s the tricky part in all this. We met someone who’d received glasses from the man. He’s based in a community called Johnstown about 120 miles from here,”

“120?” Ruby whistled “That’s an awful long way from here!”

“It’s about a week’s journey if we’re disciplined,” Prisha responded.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Louis said, waving his hands in disapproval. “Who’s ‘we’? There’s no way we can leave Ericson undefended for that long,”

“It wouldn’t have to be everyone,” Prisha argued. “It would be better to keep the group small. Violet and I could go there on our own,”

“And what makes you think I want to go?” Everyone turned to look at Violet. This entire time she had been sitting silently, her arms crossed in front of her and her gaze trained on the table.

Prisha looked visibly irked at her girlfriend’s response. “Well, Violet, I couldn’t very well take the journey without you seeing as your eyes need to be there to test out the glasses,”

“And what if I don’t want them?”

“Why on earth would you not want them?!”

“It’s too risky,” Violet said, placing her elbows on the table. “No fucking way I’m risking any of our lives just so I can see a bit better,”

Aasim nodded. “She has a point,” He flinched as Prisha shot a lethal glare his way. “I’m sorry, but it has to be said! This would be a huge risk for all of us! We have no idea what’s out there and we all have enough trauma from previous encounters to be wary. We would have absolutely no way to stay in communication with whoever would take the journey, no way to know if they’d been injured or detained or worse. And Ericson would be left with that much less strength to defend it should anything arise while they’re gone. To top it all off, we don’t even know for sure if the person in question would be willing or able to help us get the glasses at all,”

“I’ll admit, it’s a risk, but not an uncalculated one. The man we spoke to literally had those glasses made three weeks ago. This isn’t an old lead. And this isn’t some luxury item we’re trying to find for the hell of it. This is something Violet needs for her survival,”

A.J. leaned forward on the table. “I don’t get it. If it’s that important, then why don’t you want it, Violet?”

“It’s not a matter of want,” Violet muttered. “I don’t need it. I’ve gotten by just fine on my own,”

“That’s a fucking lie and you know it!” Prisha snapped. A tense silence fell over the group as the girls locked eyes. Everyone knew what this was about. A little over a month ago, Louis and Violet had been scavenging an abandoned house a couple miles from Ericson, searching for medical supplies, tools, and anything else the group could utilize. Things had been pretty quiet for the most part, when all of a sudden Violet was grabbed by a walker and pulled outside through a broken window. Louis had desperately sprinted across the room, diving through the window and wrestling the walker off of her. Chairles was out of reach and Louis was forced to improvise with a brick that had fallen loose from the house, smashing the walker’s face in until all that remained was a pile of bloody mush.

They’d barely had time to collect their senses when two more walkers came upon them, dragging Louis up from behind and biting at his neck. Violet seized Chairles and sprung forward, but was barely able to tear Louis apart from the walkers in the midst of the struggle, relying on his frantic directions to take one down before Louis could rearm himself and dispose of the other. When they returned to Ericson and told their story, Clementine immediately noticed a new tear in Louis’ overcoat. The thickness of the fabric was all that had stood between him and an irreparable walker bite. No one blamed anyone for the attack, but things were tense for several days afterward. Clementine and Louis practically became each other’s shadows, neither ever stepping out of sight of the other. Meanwhile, Prisha and Violet got into a series of turbulent fights centering around Violet’s future endeavors outside the walls. Prisha said there wouldn’t be any more. Violet said that was bullshit. There were a lot of doors slammed and frigid silence between the pair for some time. Prisha’s current outburst showed that the argument had never truly been resolved.

Clementine cleared her throat. “Neither side is wrong. There are plenty of reasons to be afraid of venturing beyond Ericson, but it’s also true that we might find supplies out there that we simply can’t produce ourselves,”

Louis looked skeptical. “What exactly do we even need?”

“Birth control,” Prisha responded. Everyone looked at her in shock. “Don’t act like it’s not true. Ruby and Aasim had that scare a few months ago. It’s only a matter of time till that fear becomes a reality. And if we can’t find that, then we’ll need medicine if either Ruby or Clementine become pregnant, to help with the gestation and delivery. Hell, we might even be able to make connections out there with a doctor or others who could help us if we ever need it. We’ve heard of it through the caravans we trade with: there are communities out there that are stable and producing essential supplies that we will need at some point in the future. We can’t wait for the need to arise before we go looking. By then, it may be too late,”

“Wait!” Willy piped up. “Didn’t Clem have friends on the outside? You know, those people in Richmond she talks about sometimes? Why don’t you guys go there instead?”

“We don’t know if they’ll have what we need in Richmond,” Clementine answered. “And while Johnstown is far, Richmond is hundreds of miles away. We’d be gone for months if we tried to get there. Besides, I haven’t seen Javi or Gabe in years, and that was before the wars broke out between communities. We don’t even know if they’re there anymore,”

Louis sighed. “What do we even know about Johnstown? Is it safe there?”

Prisha nodded. “The man we spoke to said that things have calmed down over the last year. Johnstown is stable and trades regularly with other communities and travelers. We wouldn’t draw any unwanted attention by showing up at their gates, and we’d be out of there as soon as the glasses were done,”

“Still,” Ruby pondered, “Is sending you and Violet out there alone the best idea? No offense, Prisha, I know you used to make it on your own out there, but that was before your arm got damaged. And if you’re saying that Violet needs the glasses for her own protection, then can we really risk putting her in all that danger?”

“I could go too,” Clementine offered.

“Absolutely not,” Louis’ voice was like stone. “Clem, you only have one fucking leg!”

“Yeah, but no one out there would know that. Prisha didn’t know I had a prosthetic for an entire month,”

“Prisha was in the middle of recovering from a debilitating injury at the time! She didn’t exactly have the sharpest senses!”

A.J. hopped up on the bench leg. “If Clem’s going, then I’m going too, to protect her!”

The group devolved into chaos. Everyone was trying to speak at once, either for or against the plan didn’t matter, as nothing could be heard.

“ENOUGH!!!” Violet’s voice rang through the courtyard as she slammed her hands down on the table. “None of this fucking matters, because I’m not fucking going and none of you can change my mind!” She glared around at all of the group, then made her way back toward the dorms.

Prisha was silent, her fists clenched by her sides. Angrily, she lifted her head. “If you don’t come with me, then I’m going there without you!”

“I’d like to see you fucking try!” Violet didn’t bother to turn around.

Seething, Prisha stormed away towards the admin building.

Everyone looked at each other, wondering what to do next.

“So…” Willy ventured. “What’s happening?”

Clementine sighed. “Decisions like this can’t be made in a day. This is something we need to consider and talk about more. But whatever we decide, either way, it won’t be easy,”


	2. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Violet and Louis discuss the risks and benefits of sending people out on this mission.

Violet had been sitting up on the wall for quite some time. It was making Louis worried. He watched her from his seat at the picnic tables. It was unclear whether it was best to leave her alone or attempt conversation, but the longer she was up there the more it seemed that she could use someone to talk to. Mustering his courage in case of rejection, Louis made his way over to the wall.

“How’s the weather up there?”

Violet glanced down at him, but didn’t bother to reply to his half-hearted opener. Louis’ shoulders drooped. Yeah, that was a stupid way to break the ice. “I’m coming up, OK?”

No answer.

Louis began to make the arduous climb, grasping desperately at the meager finger and toeholds the wall had to offer. He had no idea how Violet was always able to get up here with such ease. It took all that he had to make it to the top safely. After a minute or two of heavy breathing, he righted himself and took as seat next to Violet overlooking the surrounding forest. It was a quiet day. Clementine and Prisha were off hunting, Ruby and Aasim in the greenhouse and AJ and Willy were doing some sort of secret experiment in the basement. They had the yard to themselves.

“So… you thinking about anything in particular?”

“Prisha hasn’t spoken to me in three days,”

Damn. He’d known Prisha had been upset when Violet vetoed her plan to travel to Johnstown, but he hadn’t expected that her reaction would be so extreme.

“That sucks,”

“Yeah, it really does,”

Louis heard Violet’s breath catch a little. He turned to look at her more closely. Were her eyes… wet? Had she been crying up here?

“I don’t think she’s gonna forgive me,”

“What? Has she said something to you like that?”

“No, she’s said fucking nothing! She won’t even look at me. She just wakes up in the morning and goes off to do her work. She hasn’t been sitting with me either at… dinner,” A harsh sniffle came out.

Immediately, Louis wrapped an arm around her, pulling himself closer to her. God, he should have been paying more attention. He’d been so caught up in worrying that Clementine would insist on the journey these past couple days that he hadn’t been noticing anything around him. “Hey, hey,” he whispered, brushing some hair back that had stuck to Violet’s damp cheeks, “Don’t let fear get the best of you, OK? Prisha’s stubborn, but she’s not going to do anything like that. She’s crazy about you,”

Violet took in a long, shaky breath. Louis gently reached out to rub one of her arms, which she was clenching tightly around herself. Softly he hummed, trying to ease her anxiety.

“I’m not crazy, right? To not want to go?”

“Of course not! Hell, I don’t want you to go either!”

Violet shook her head. “As much as Marlon fucked things up, he was right about one thing: it’s safer here. Sophie, Minnie… Tenn – we lost all of them outside these walls. Clem got bit outside these walls,”

It was a bitter memory for both of them. The worst night of their lives. No one ever brought it up.

“Whatever you decide, I’ll support you. They’re your eyes and your life on the line. You have final say,”

“It would be Clementine’s life on the line too. And Prisha’s,”

Louis couldn’t deny it. There had been talk on and off in the days since Prisha brought up the idea of travelling to Johnstown for the glasses. Tense discussions around the dinner tables, whispered conversations in lonely corners of the school. It was ever present in everyone’s mind. One thing was certain: if the mission did happen, it would be Clementine, Violet and Prisha making the journey. None of the others had the resources or experience to take on such a journey. Louis hated the idea – what good could possibly come of sending three cripples out into the wilderness on their own? It felt like the blind leading the blind.

“Prisha said it was my fault that you almost got bit,”

Louis was stunned. “She said that to you?”

“A while ago when we came back from scavenging,”

“Prisha’s a fucking liar,” Louis said, vitriol in his tone. “What happened back there was on me. I should have been watching out better and realized that we shouldn’t be standing near the windows,”

“No, she’s right,”

“Vi,” Louis took his hand in hers. “You realize I don’t blame you for what happened, right? It was an accident. It could have happened to any of us,”

Violet shook her head. “It happened because I was too fucking cocky to admit I might as well have been blind in that building. I couldn’t see a fucking thing in there, let alone scavenge for anything. I was fucking useless and worse, I was a danger to you. I’m a danger to everyone like this,”

“Violet, look at me,” Louis took hold of both of her shoulders , turning her to face him. “If this is the sort of stuff Prisha’s telling you, then this is more than just a fight. You can’t let her tear you down like that. As soon as she comes back, I’m going to march right over to her and-”

“No!” Violet cried, wrestling her way out of his arms. “Louis, you’ve got it all wrong! Don’t you see? She’s right! Yeah, it’s awful to hear it out loud, but she’s right! Ever since the explosion, I’ve been a danger to the group. I mean, just look at me,” She gestured toward her face. “I can’t even see out of the one eye, and the other one’s two shit’s short of useless. It’s been over two years, and I can barely hunt, can hardly fight, can’t do anything detailed… I’m the weak link!” She looked off in the distance, her eyes filling with tears.

Louis couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Violet, are you nuts? You’re the bedrock of the group. You never give up! Even after all that happened, you kept pulling your weight around here more than anyone even expected. You’ve accomplished things with those eyes that I couldn’t even dream of doing if I was in your shoes. You’re amazing, Violet!”

The words didn’t seem to be getting through to Violet. She was still crying, wiping her nose and eyes with her ratty old sleeve.

“Violet, you know that none of us expect anything more of you. You already do plenty. Prisha’s doing a shitty job of showing it, but she’s so desperate to take this journey because she wants to help your life be better. It’s not ‘cause she thinks you’re not enough. She hadn’t even met you before the explosion. She fell in love with you just the way you are, just like we all love you right here, right now,”

He wasn’t sure if what he’d said had worked. But after a second, Violet reached out and gripped one of his hands in her own. “I’m just so fucking scared,” she whispered. “Scared of losing anyone. We’ve all lost so much. And we’re finally safe. We’ve built something here at Ericson, better than I ever thought it could be. A home,” Her expression hardened. “But this idea of traveling outside the walls, it goes beyond me. This might have started over a fucking pair of glasses, but we need way more than that. Our medicine supply will be gone before we know it. And the other stuff Prisha mentioned. The stuff with you and Clem… do you guys want that someday?”

Now it was Louis’ turn in the hotseat. His gaze became thoughtful as he pondered Violet’s question. “Clem and I have talked about it in the past. It’d be stupid not to, considering it could always happen whether we want it or not. Clementine’s said she’s not sure if she’d want to bring a child into this world, given the way it is, how much danger and heartache they’d face. Considering what she’s seen, I can’t blame her. I…” he sighed heavily. “Shit, I would like kids, someday, as crazy as that sounds. But I can’t put that on Clementine since if it did happen, she’d be the one taking on the risk. Carrying a baby to term and going through labor...” He shook his head. “It would risk her life. I couldn’t ask that of her. I don’t think I could take that chance,”

“But Prisha’s right,” Violet murmured. “About how it might happen regardless,”

Louis nodded, his mouth set in a firm line.

“That scare she talked about, with Ruby and Aasim?”

“Yeah?”

“Everybody was happy when they heard it was a false alarm. But later that day, I heard Ruby crying in her room. I think as scared as she was, part of her wanted it to be true,”

Louis looked pensive. “Bringing a new life into the world… it’s a miracle. It should be a happy thing,”

“Ruby and Aasim would make good parents,”

Louis chucked. “Hell yeah, they would! Can you imagine Aasim with his kid on his lap, trying to teach them to read before they can even crawl?”

“Ruby would carry them through the greenhouse, pointing out all the different herbs and flowers in there. Then the kid would try to stick a nail or some sort of shit in its mouth and she’d be cussing up a storm trying to get it back from them,”

The pair laughed at the idea, their legs lazily dangling off the edge.

Violet looked to Louis with a gentle smile on her face. “You and Clem would be awesome parents too,”

Louis felt tears prick the corners of his eyes at those words. Wordlessly, he wrapped his arms around Violet and pulled her into a tight hug. They stayed like that, caught in the moment, for longer than either of them could track. When they pulled apart, both wiped hurriedly at their eyes.

Violet gave a sigh of resignation. Her eyes however, remained firm. “Sooner or later, we’re going to have to take this trip. As much as we’d all love for everything to stay the same, we both know things are changing. We won’t be self-sufficient forever,”

“What are you saying?” Louis asked, but he knew the answer.

“I’m saying we have to go. I have to go, for everybody. We’ve got to protect what we have, but we also need to prepare for the future, to make sure that every one of us has a future,”

“So you’re leaving me alone then?” Louis protested weakly. “The only one against the plan?”

Violet gave him a sad smile, reaching up to brush away a stray tear from his cheek. “We both know it has to happen. We’ve just been too fucking scared to admit it,”

“If I lose you… If I lose Clem…” Tears were forming in his eyes again.

“Hey, hey,” Violet chided. “Let’s not think like that. Clementine’s smart. Prisha’s smart. I’m a fucking genius,” They both chuckled at that one. “We’ll be fine. We know what we’re doing,”

“Swear to me,” Louis whispered. “Swear you’ll come back,”

Violet was silent. They both knew that was a promise she couldn’t guarantee. Then she lifted her hand slowly toward her face and spit into her hand. She held it out to Louis with a smile.

Louis smirked and spit in his own hand, taking it in hers. It’d been a long time since they’d done a spit swear. “I swear,”

“You better keep that swear. Otherwise I’m gonna tear apart half of the east coast looking for you guys,”

“Keep Ericson safe while we’re gone,”

“I swear,”

They finished shaking, then wiped their hands against the rough bricks below them. The sun was starting its downward journey. Behind them, they could hear Omar beginning his nightly ritual, pots and pans clanging against each other as he prepared supper.

“So,” Louis quirked an eyebrow. “Who’s breaking the news to the group,”

“I’ll do it. I know everyone’s been waiting for me to say something, anything, about all this,”

“I’ll be right by your side when you do,” Louis smiled warmly at Violet. Then his eyes looked below them to the courtyard. “So… need any help getting down?”

“No, but I’m guessing you do,”

Louis grinned. “You know me so well,”

“C’mon,” Violet said, swinging her legs over to the opposite wall. “Don’t want to be late for dinner,”

“Yes, we certainly couldn’t have that!”

“And Louis?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks. For coming up here,”

“Thank you for listening,”

Violet shook her head with a smile as she began her descent, holding up a hand to help Louis with his. “What are friends for?”

They could hear the gate open. Clementine and Prisha must be home.

They had a lot to discuss.


	3. Goodbyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone says their goodbyes as Clementine, Violet and Prisha head out from the school.

It was almost time to leave. They’d been preparing for the journey for a week now. Ruby had been preparing all sorts of herbal remedies to take along with them. Omar had been drying meat into jerky and preparing as many non-perishable food items as they could carry with them. Everyone had been training, going over the drills of what they would do in case of an attack, where they could hide, who was in charge of what. Clementine and Prisha had been working with Violet to understand how much she could see clearly and how much guidance she would need while they were travelling. Louis and Clementine stayed up late every evening, trying to grab every spare moment they could together in the night hours, while A.J. was inseparably glued to Clem’s side at all times during the day. Willy spent countless hours in the basement fiddling with adjustments to Clementine’s prosthetic and Prisha’s arm brace. Everyone was focused.

When the day came, they were already packed: dried food and medicines, furs and other items that might have trading value, a whetstone to keep their weapons sharp, tinder and flint, water flasks. Everything they could possibly need while still travelling light. They’d figured it could take as long as two weeks in each direction travelling by foot. They had decided to give the trio two months to come there and back. That gave them about a month to find the optometrist and get the glasses made. They all hoped that would be enough time. The group had demanded that the girls return by that date, whether their mission had been a success or not. No one wanted to talk of how long after the deadline those left behind should wait before assuming the worst.

\---

Prisha stood by Ericson’s gates, looking thoughtful. Violet walked up behind her. Silently, they looked out into the woods. There wasn’t a walker to be seen. James had been informed of their impending departure and had done his due diligence over the past few days rounding up any stray walkers he could find. He had also promised to keep an eye on Ericson in the coming months and stay nearby. Though he never spent more than a few days inside their walls, they had known him long enough to trust that James would do everything in his power to keep them safe and hidden.

“I’m sorry,” Prisha’s words cut through the brisk morning air, lingering in the open yard.

“For what?”

“Perhaps it’s hypocritical of me to be having doubts now, but I can’t help but wonder if I pressured you into this. Everybody, but especially you. It’s a lot to ask of someone,”

“I mean, the whole reason we’re doing this is because of me. It’d be fucking ungrateful to throw this away,”

Prisha shook her head. “It would be smart to stay. Cautious. This whole time I got so caught up in the idea that I was helping you, that I completely shut myself off from considering whether it was even worth the risk. And the things I said…” She paused, her eyes lowered. “I may have apologized for what I said, but that doesn’t mean the words can be taken back. The fact that I hurt you in the very name of protecting you – it’s pathetic,”

Violet reached out, her fingers intertwining with Prisha’s. “Everything you said was true. They were things I needed to hear. Stuff I was too fucking scared to admit to myself. Yeah, the things you said sucked. But I wasn’t exactly doing my best either. It’s no use sticking our heads in the sand and acting like everything is safe here and we’ll be OK forever if we don’t change anything. Maybe instead of focusing on how much we’ve both fucked up, we think about what we might come back with at the end of all this?”

Prisha turned to Violet, a wry smile tugging at her lips. “What’s this? My girlfriend the eternal pessimist telling me to be more positive?”

Violet shrugged. “There’s a first time for everything.”

Prisha took hold of Violet’s shoulder, looking her in the eyes. “I just want to make sure we’re on the same page here. That you know that no matter the shit I’ve put you through in the last month,   
I’m still with you, one hundred percent,”

“I know you’ve got my back, just like I’ve got yours. We’ll keep each other safe,”

Prisha raised her pinky finger, holding it out to Violet. “Till the end?”

Tears pricked at Violet’s eyes as she remembered the vow they had sworn that day. She lifted her own pinky and locked it with Prisha’s. “To the end,”

Slowly, both girls leaned forward, lips meeting in a kiss.

“I love you,” Prisha whispered as they pulled apart.

“I love you too,”

\---

Clementine sat at one of the picnic tables, rifling through her bag for what must have been the tenth time that morning.

“Looking for something?” Louis’ asked as he walked her way.

“Yeah, the whetstone. I could have sworn I put it at the top of my pack, but I cant find it now,”

Louis quirked an eyebrow. “Is that it there?”

Clementine looked over at the picnic table and let out an exasperated sigh, snatching up the rock. “God, I’ve never been so distracted in my life,”

“Anything I can do to help?” Louis took a seat beside her.

Clementine sighed. “Tell me I’m doing the right thing?”

Louis’ brows raised in surprise.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be dumping this last second panic on you. It’s just that we’ve been putting everything into this moment, and now that it’s here… well, now it’s real,”

Louis rubbed an arm along Clementine’s back. “You know you never have to apologize for telling me what you’re thinking, right? That’s what I’m here for,”

Clementine looked into her boyfriend’s face, his expression so warm and comforting. In the 2 and a half years they’d been together, she’d never been apart from him for a single day. She never thought she’d be one to grow complacent, but here she was having taken that fact for granted this entire time. Now she wasn’t sure how she’d take it when she woke up the next morning and he wasn’t curled up by her side.

And A.J. The last time they had been separated was by force, when The New Frontier had taken him away from her as a baby. It had taken months before she’d felt alright having him out of her sight for as little as an hour. Now she would be gone for months. How could that possibly be the right decision? Clementine leaned against Louis, nuzzling his shoulder as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. “You have to promise me that you’ll look out for A.J. No letting him and Willy wander off on secret expeditions or exploring new areas. Don’t even let him run ahead of you.   
He needs to stay by your side at all times,”

“I swear Clem, I won’t let anything happen to A.J. He knows to be smart too. Hell, he’s still a better shot than me,”

“He’s also still a kid. One who wants to patrol every single night when he gets worried,”

“No patrols at all, I promise. We’re laying low until you guys get back. The old safe zone is in effect. Nothing but daily chores each and every day. We won’t even change the bedsheets, that’s how little will change,”

Clem chuckled. “No, the bedsheets can be changed. They already need a wash. I don’t even want to imagine how they’d smell two months from now,”

“Well, fine then. I’ll allow that one thing to change, but that’s it! Everything else will look as though you’ve never been gone,” Louis had a broad smile on his face, but Clementine could see the fear behind his eyes. He was such an awful liar.

“I’ll be smart too. And I’ll come back with supplies, intel, hopefully medicine, maybe some toys for AJ…”

“Come back safe. That’s all that matters. If anything goes wrong, then fuck the plan. You get home safe. All of you,” Louis took Clem in his arms, resting his chin on top of her head. “And if you’re even a day late coming back, I’m going to bust through those gates and drag you back myself, understand?”

Clementine gave a murmur of assent. “I love you, Louis,”

“I love you too,”

\---

Everyone had gathered at the gates to see the girls off. Ruby, Omar and Aasim had all fluttered back and forth between the three of them, making sure that everything was packed and asking if there was just one more piece of food or equipment they could fit into their packs. Louis and Clem kept hugging each other and exchanging kisses, promising that this was the last one before going in for another. A.J. was giving Violet last minute survival pointers, while Willy still fussed with Prisha’s arm brace.

“Ugh, I swear it was working better this morning!” Willy exclaimed, tightening one of the straps on Prisha’s arm.

Prisha smiled down at the boy. “Relax, it’s working perfectly. C’mon, squirt, will you look at me for a minute?”

Willy looked up to meet Prisha’s eyes, his own larger than ever.

Affectionately, Prisha reached out to ruffle his hair. “I’m so proud of you, you know that? Everything you’ve accomplished here: the hydration system for the greenhouse, the alarms inside the school, the traps outside… I know I’m leaving Ericson in capable hands,”

Willy shook his head, his eyes burning with tears. “Nuh uh, don’t say that!”

“Say what?”

“Stop acting like you’re going away forever! You’re only gonna be gone two months!”

Prisha’s eyes were apologetic. “Aaw, Willy, I’m sorry if it came across that way. Don’t worry, I have no plans of dying for another hundred years at least. You’d better enjoy this time while I’m away, ‘cause you’re going to be stuck with me the rest of your life,”

Tears began to roll down Willy’s face. He hugged her tightly, squeezing his eyes shut. “Don’t be a hero, OK? If anything bad happens, you just hide. Don’t come out, no matter what!”

“I-I promise, Willy.” Prisha gently patted his back. “Nothing’s gonna keep me from coming home so we can finally figure out how to give Ericson indoor plumbing again. How about you draw up some rough schematics while I’m gone so once I’m back we can hit the ground running?”

Willy pulled away from her, roughly nodding as he wiped at his eyes. Prisha grabbed the back of his head and pulled him forward one last time to place a kiss on his forehead. “I can’t wait,”

AJ had stepped away from Violet to allow Ruby to make one final attempt to convince her to take the heart sunglasses with her ‘just in case’. Now he turned to Clementine. She smiled at him, kneeling down to talk. He’d grown much taller in the last two years. Though she still had to lower herself for their conversations, now he towered over her when she reached the ground. They’d been saying their goodbyes to each other the entire week. There wasn’t much left to say at this point. But A.J. couldn’t help but make a final appeal to go.

“Y’know I’ve got my own pack that I could carry stuff in. You wouldn’t have to take anything,”

Clem shook her head. “You know there’s nobody I trust more out on the road, kiddo. But there’s also no one else I can trust as much as you to keep Ericson safe. I need you to keep an eye on things around here and on everybody who’s staying behind, especially Louis,”

A.J. nodded “ I know. He’s gonna be really sad while you’re gone. You and Violet,” They both looked over to see Louis hugging Violet from behind, trying to kiss her cheek while she struggled to break free.

“You have to spend time with him, OK? I know you guys already do a lot of stuff together, but maybe when you and Willy are planning something you can invite Louis to join in? Just to help him stay distracted till we get back,”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to include him. And I’ll be careful too. No risks, nothing new,”

“Exactly. Things will be quiet while we’re gone, but we’ll be back before you know it,”

A.J. shook his head. “It’s gonna suck while you’re gone,” His eyebrows raised when Clem’s face fell. “But not too bad! Maybe we’ll work on something to show you when you get back, like a play! 

Maybe a musical so Prisha and Violet can have part in it,”

“I bet they’d love that,” Clem looked up into A.J.’s eyes, so confident and steady. How had her little man grown so much. “I know you’re too big for the nickname anymore, but will you let me say it one time?”

A.J. rolled his eyes. “OK, one time,”

“I love you, goofball,”

“I love you too,”

They gave each other the tightest hug possible. They would have to make this one last.

Finally, there were no more goodbyes to be said. It was time to go. As the girls made their way out of Ericson’s gates, they looked behind them, waving back at the others until the trees blocked everything from their view. Turning back to face forward, they exchanged a grim smile between themselves. There was nothing more to be said, only steps to be taken. Every step forward took them closer to their end goal and closer to the day when they could return home.


	4. The Way There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clementine, Violet and Prisha make their way to Johnstown.

It was a quiet week and a half for the three girls as they made their way through the wilderness and up to Johnstown. Whenever possible, they stayed away from roads and far enough from riverbanks that they wouldn’t risk running into anyone else as they travelled. It had been a few years now since any of them had truly travelled in the outside world, but they were certain one thing remained the same: those you encountered in your travels rarely had your best interests at heart. It was a grueling trek across rough terrain, making their daily progress slower than they had hoped, but they took solace in their steadfast progress and in the presence of each other.

When they first started, Prisha and Clementine switched off on guard duty, spending half of the night tending the fire and keeping an eye out for intruders. They brushed off Violet’s insistence to help at first, pointing to the fact that she didn’t have guard duty back at Ericson. However, Violet pointed out that the campsite they were guarding was quite a bit smaller than Ericson’s campus, and that she still had ears, damnit. Exhausted from the long shifts, Prisha and Clementine agreed to split the nights into 3 parts. Besides the occasional walker or a wild animal rummaging about, the nights were quiet, though not always dry. They were thankful that they had heeded Aasim’s advice and taken a tarp despite their endeavors to only take replaceable supplies on their journey.

They travelled in the same formation each day: Prisha leading the way, map in hand, Violet following close behind and Clementine keeping lookout from behind. It worked well on most occasions. There were times when boulders or logs must be climbed or streams crossed when they were forced to break formation to help each other to surmount the obstacle. They might have thought to themselves that they wished one fully able-bodied person was along to help in such instances, but those words were never spoken. There was no point dwelling on what they didn’t have. They could make do. Whenever they found themselves forced to circle an area, backtrack or take a detour, they took these changes in stride. Caution was the most important tactic, not speed.

Sometimes they would talk quietly amongst themselves, swapping stories or playing little games. Most fell flat though. I Spy was quickly thrown out for obvious reasons, and they had been together long enough to know each others’ best stories. None of them minded the quiet, and so they would often find themselves several hours into the day’s hike with barely a word exchanged. It was peaceful, but also rather lonely. No one wanted to speak of home for long, as if recalling the place would somehow prevent them from ever returning. Ericson was the unspoken dream they held in their hearts.

On nights when they still had some energy left inside them, they would rifle through their packs and pull out the unexpected treasure the group had sent with them: letters from home. They found them their first night making camp, tucked into the base of each of their packs. Everyone had written them letters and (in AJ’s and Willy’s case) drawn them pictures to encourage them throughout their journey. Louis had been particularly prolific in his letters to Clementine. Violet and Prisha would often sit together talking quietly while she read each new letter to herself. She never let herself slip, but sometimes the girls would catch a stray tear shining in the corner of Clementine’s eye as she read over a new letter or admired another one of AJ’s artworks for her. They felt torn; the letters sustained them, but also made them miss home more than ever.

Each day they drew closer to their destination, and as their mile count went down, they began to talk more and more of what they hoped to find when they were there. It was unlikely they had anything valuable enough to trade for manufactured medicine, but even knowledge they could take back in books or within their own minds would be priceless. Practical supplies like duct tape or batteries, luxuries like new reading material or music, and of course the glasses. The glasses that would allow Violet to see everything clearly again, that would open up her world so that she could partake in every part of Ericson life. Often Violet would scold them and tell them not to get their hopes up. After all, none of this was a sure thing, especially something as specialized as glasses. But sometimes the excitement would be too much for Prisha and Violet and they would let their hopes and plans burst out once more.

Once they were out of the forest, cover became harder to find. The state that had used to be Pennsylvania was full of rolling hills and ridges and little in the way of camouflage. They found themselves sidestepping more groups and going the long way around entire communities. There were a few close calls, both walker and human, as they drew closer to the remains of towns and cities, former urban areas. Some were literal ghost towns, without a sign of life stirring from their bleak outlines, while in others walls had been built and the presence of smoke showed there still was life being lived despite the world ending. At last, they drew close enough that Johnstown was mere miles away from them. They were down to the single digits! The girls woke early that morning, leaving the gas station they had spent the night in before dawn had fully arrived, desperate with the anticipation of finally reaching their goal.

The walls surrounding Johnstown were vast. They could see them when they were still miles away. As they walked, they talked quietly through their plans: who should lead, who should speak, where each of them would go. They decided Clementine would take the lead. She had the experience to handle these sort of first meetings as peacefully as possible and with a level head. They would stick together at all times, ready to leave at a moment’s notice if need be. Despite the comfort that sturdy walls provided, Clementine and Prisha both knew that sometimes those very bastions of protection could revert to the bars of a prison cell. Their motto was simple: Strive for the best, prepare for the worst.

Once they were within earshot of Johnstown’s gates, they heard the feedback of a loudspeaker before a male voice firmly declared, “Halt! Drop any weapons and state your purpose,” The girls duly followed orders, placing their weapons on the ground and standing with hands open.

“We’ve come to trade,” Clementine stated loudly. “We heard you have a man within your walls who can make glasses for those who need them,”

There were a few moments of silence from the gates before the voice cut through the morning air again. “You can come forward. Keep your weapons lowered,”

So far, so good. The girls shared small smiles between themselves as they walked toward the gates. This was better than any of the previous gateway conversations Clementine had recounted to them. As they drew nearer, they could see that armed guards stood along a walkway above the gates into the city. Formidable, but they didn’t appear hostile in any way. In fact, they almost looked at ease given their relaxed posture as the girls approached.

Suddenly however, one of the guards – a large black man with impressive pectorals - perked up and made his way towards the front of the walkway. “Well, I’ll be damned. Prisha?”

Prisha froze at his words, expression quizzical. Then her eyes widened in recognition. “Tyrone, is that you?”

“You’re damn right it is! Fuck, I thought you were dead!” Tyrone smiled down happily at the trio, hand resting casually on the stock of his gun.

“You know this guy?” Clementine whispered. Prisha nodded. There was always the possibility that they would run into someone that they knew, but the likelihood of that had been so small they hadn’t made any particular plans should that matter arise.

Prisha looked up. “I don’t get it, Tyrone. What are you doing here? I thought you were all the way over in Harrisburg,”

Tyrone chuckled. “You would think that, wouldn’t you? Seeing as you dropped off the face of the earth six years ago. Naw, we settled down here. This is Deliverance territory now, baby!”

Immediately, Violet and Clementine could see the change that came over Prisha at the news. Her body was petrified, hand clenching her axe with a death grip, knuckles white.

Tyrone was too far above them to notice the reaction. “Hold it right there, k’? I gotta tell her you’re back! She’s gonna flip!” He turned to the other soldiers on the walkway. “I’ll be back in a flash, guys,” With that, he disappeared down some stairs, entering Johnstown. The remaining guards eyed the girls with curiosity.

Prisha turned to face Violet and Clementine, keeping her voice low. “I don’t know how long we have until they’re back, so listen closely. Do not tell them anything about yourselves. Do not mention Ericson or anything pertaining to its location, no matter how vague. Give her no details whatsoever,”

Violet shot a glance up to the guards. “If things are so bad, why don’t we just bail now before they come back?”

Prisha shook her head. “It’s too late for that. She knows we’re in the area. She won’t let us leave that easily,”

“Who is ‘she’?”

“Will wonders never cease?” A low female voice rang out from the platform. “Prisha Chakyar. Alive and in the flesh. Six years you’ve been roaming and you never even bothered to drop by?” They looked up to see a tall Brazilian woman standing before them, hands on hips. She looked to be in her mid-thirties, and her thick, curly hair fell down past her shoulders. An assault rifle rested on one of her hips, and a bowie knife was strapped to her chest.

Clementine’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the woman. Something about her presence was familiar. She had seen it before in leaders of other communities. Charismatic, capable leaders. Dangerous ones. Leaders like Carver. She understood Prisha’s apprehension.

Prisha’s jaw was set firmly as she glared up at the woman. “Hello, Francesca,”

“What are you doing here? I didn’t expect our paths to cross again. Perhaps you’ve come in hopes of returning home?” Francesca eyed Violet and Clementine. “Who are the stragglers? We aren’t the Sisters of Mercy, Prisha. Our doors don’t open to just anybody,”

“We’ve come to trade,” Prisha answered evenly. “These two are members of my group. We heard you have an optometrist in your ranks,”

“That we do. I know to keep quality when I see it,” Francesca crossed her arms. “But what makes you think his services are available?”

Clementine spoke up this time. “We came across a caravan with a traveler who had received glasses from here a few weeks ago,”

Francesca did not respond, eyes trained on Prisha. Prisha met her stare back in kind. Francesca smirked. “Well, Prisha? I’m waiting,"

“You have your answer,”

Francesca gestured toward Violet dismissively. “I take it she’s the one in need of help? The scrawny one with the burnt up face?”

Prisha’s eyes narrowed. “We have items we brought to trade. Are you open to see what we have to offer or not?”

Francesca laughed. “Do you really think that any of you have something in your packs that we here in Johnstown have need of? No, that’s not how things work. Here we don’t trade in goods; we trade in services. So, Prisha, are you ready to service me?”

The meaning of her tone was not lost on anyone. Prisha stood stock still, gaze trained on Francesca. Clementine and Violet shared a concerned glance. This was not a situation they could have even imagined themselves falling into.

Finally, Prisha answered. “What do you have in mind?”

The smirk on Francesca’s face could be seen even from their place on the ground. “Come in and find out. Tyrone, open the gates,” With that, she turned around and went down the same stairs Tyrone had previously. All of them were sure they hadn’t seen the last of her.

The gates began to open, the sound of scraping metal loud and piercing. Clementine looked over to Prisha with concern. “Prisha, is this really a good idea? There’s clearly some bad blood here. It might not be worth it,”

“No,” Prisha’s tone was firm. “The board’s been set. We’re not leaving until Francesca considers the game finished,”

“And how does she determine that?”

“That’s yet to be seen. We have to be careful, make her think she’s won without giving anything up,”

Violet swore under her breath, turning to look at Prisha. “Who the fuck is this?”

The doors finished opening with a clang. Prisha turned to look at her friends, her face an unreadable slate. “She’s my ex,”


	5. Missing Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby comes across Louis in the music room feeling lonesome and tries to cheer him up.

Ruby was quiet as she made her way to the music room, the sounds of the piano echoing through the school’s halls. It was nothing unusual to hear the piano, but today’s tune sounded different. The melody was familiar, but it seemed to be cycling, like a scratched disc stuck on repeat. It had been going on long enough that she had begun to wonder if anything was wrong. She tried to open the door as quietly as possible, but the music immediately stopped and she could hear Louis shuffling about.

“Sorry, I know I must be annoying the shit out of everybody. I’ll stop,”

“No, hun! There’s no need for that! That’s not why I’m here,”

“You fulfilling a promise you made to Clem? Checking in on me?” Louis’ expression was glum.

“Now why would you think that?”

"‘Cause it’s what everyone else has been doing. AJ, Willy… even Aasim tried to hang out with me. He failed miserably, since unlike him I don’t find Regency era literature ‘captivating’. That just leaves you,”

“Well, Clementine did tell me to keep an eye on you…” Ruby admitted before her expression transformed into a pout. “But I’m downright insulted to hear that you think that’s the only reason I’d come to visit you! We’re friends, ain’t we? Can’t a friend check in on another out of the goodness of her heart?”

“I guess,” Louis gave a noncommittal shrug and returned to the piano, his fingers jumping over the keys. He made it a few seconds before he hit what was clearly a wrong note and dropped his hands with a sigh of disgust. “It’s useless,”

“What’re you trying to do?”

“At first I was aiming to compose something new to play once the girls get back. Then I found myself getting too distracted to focus on what I was doing, so I tried to play an old song I wrote, the one I named after Clementine. But I can’t even seem to do that correctly now!”

Ruby eased her way over toward the piano. “Maybe you just need to step away from it for a moment. You know, close your eyes and-”

“Ruby, I swear, if you tell me to take a cleansing breath right now…”

She sat down beside him on the bench. “Well, there’s no point stressing when it won’t do anyone any good,”

Louis shook his head, not meeting her gaze. “I should have gone, not Clementine. I know she’s got the experience to know what’s out there in the world… but she’s only got one leg, damnit! Even if I was just a glorified bag carrier, I should have gone along to help with the terrain or to keep watch at night… something!”

“You know as well as I do that Clementine wouldn’t be able to do what needs to be done if she knew you were in danger,”

“Well then what is she doing with a guy like me if I can’t even pull my own weight and watch her back?”

“Louis,” Ruby reached out a comforting hand and placed it on his knee. “You and I both know that’s nonsense. You have her back every day around here: bringing in food, keepin’ watch, watching after A.J. It’s just… the journey she’s takin’ right now takes a certain set of skills that none of us have. There’s no reason to be ashamed of that. Clem only gained them herself through trials and tribulations she’d never wish on anyone else,”

Louis’ eyes were misty. “That’s exactly what I wish I could protect her from. She more than any of us deserves a fucking break.”

Ruby was silent at those words. She couldn’t deny them. She looked up at her friend, a boy she’d known for over a decade now. He’d grown so much since Clementine and A.J. came to Ericson. It was a shame that the very same maturity was haunting him now with a sense of responsibility he simply could not fulfill. She looked over at the worn-out piano and quietly dinged a single key. Then her face brightened.

“I know! How about to keep your mind off all these worries, you teach me how to play somethin’! And instead of being Gloomy Guses we can talk about all the fascinatin’ things they might find and see along their way!”

Louis raised an eyebrow. “You sure? It’s not exactly something you’ve been interested in in the past,”

Ruby crossed her arms in mock indignation. “I will have you know that my old man was the best fiddler in all of Upshur County! I’ve got music in my bones,”

A small smile flickered on Louis’ face. “Alright then. We’ll start with something simple, like chopsticks. Now over here you have the C key, then D,E,F, G and then A,B,C…”

After a couple minutes of lessons, Ruby let out a happy sigh. “Well, ain’t this grand? I bet Clem and the others are having a good time too on their travels. The weather’s been nice this whole week. And just think – they’re seeing new sights and landscapes for the first time in years! I bet it’s lovely out there,”

Louis smiled softly. “Vi always used to call this place a shithole. Even though the circumstances aren’t the best, I bet she’s glad to break out for a while,”

“And on the way back, she’ll be able to see everything clearly, like she’s seeing it for the first time all over again! She’ll enjoy her time coming and going!”

Louis laughed. “You know Aasim handed Prisha one of his precious blank notebooks before they headed out? He wanted her to write down any ‘relevant data’ she might find during their trip. I bet she’s scribbling down notes like mad every night,”

“And once they get into Johnstown, can you just imagine it? An actual working town with buildings and professionals and all sorts of different people? I’m sure they’ll have all sorts of stories to tell when they come home! And knowing them, I bet they’ll try to load up on gifts too,”

“Oh, you bet! Clementine is determined to find Rena Rhubarb to complete A.J.’s Disco Brocolli collection! And you just know they’re going to find new recipes for Omar to try, probably some crazy book of inventions for Willy and Prisha to work on together…”

“Probably some new sheet music for you too!”

“Knowing our Clementine, I wouldn’t put it past her to find a whole new instrument to bring home. Hey, if it’s a fiddle then we could start playing duets together! Wouldn’t that be something!”

“We’ll have the biggest hootenanny yet the second they return! We should start planning now! They’ve already been gone for 10 days – they must be there by now. With our luck, they’ll be back before we’re even halfway done setting up the decorations!”

Louis chuckled, swinging round to the other side of the bench. “I’d better figure out the best hiding spot in here so that the second Vi walks through those doors I can give her a welcome back kiss that puts my goodbye kiss to shame!” His tone became nostalgic. “And when she steps in here with her glasses on and sees all the decorations, sees all of us clearly again after all this time…” His voice broke. “Well then, it’ll all be worth it, won’t it?”

Ruby’s own eyes were fogging up with tears. She placed her hand on Louis’ back, giving it a good-natured pat. “Damn right it will,”

Louis’ expression brightened and he spun around to face Ruby. “I just had an idea of what to play when they get back! It’ll take a bit to write down and get sorted out, but once I’m done, do you want to practice it with me? It’s going to be a welcome home duet,”

“I would love nothing more than to be a part of that song. We’ll practice so much that our fingers will be playing it out in our sleep!” She rose from the piano bench with a soft grunt. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m supposed to be helping out with dinner tonight. I’m sure you’ve got plenty to do now that inspiration has struck,”

Louis nodded silently, already completely absorbed in his musical process, scribbling something down frantically on the back of one of his music sheets.

Ruby shook her head, a tender smile on her lips. That boy had never been the best at manners. She’d give him a pass this time. As she exited the room, piano music began to flow from the music room once more. This time though, there was a brightness and warmth to the notes being played. The sound of hope; a song of reunion.


	6. The Warehouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls attempt to fulfill the mission Francesca has set before them: clear the warehouse of all walkers.

The three girls were silent as they entered the gates of Johnstown, Prisha’s revelation having sent the wheels in the other two’s heads spinning. There wasn’t enough time to process the implications of what had been said before they were once again standing before Francesca, who met their arrival with a self-assured smirk. What exactly were they walking into?

Francesca gave Prisha a once-over, eyes going to the arm brace that held her limp left arm in place. “Oh dear, that isn’t my fault, is it?” She gestured toward the limb. “I hope not!”

“Do you?” Prisha’s eyes were cold.

Francesca met them evenly. “Regardless, it’s going to make the task I’m about to set before you more difficult than expected,”

“What exactly did you have in mind?”

“Follow me,” Francesca began to walk further into the city, armed guards flanking either side of her. The trio shared a moment of silent negotiation, but it wasn’t like they had much of a choice in the matter. They followed behind.

“As you can imagine, optometrists are hard to come by these days, let alone ones with the equipment needed to actually create workable lenses,”

“Your point?” Prisha asked.

“Something that valuable deserves a valuable favor done in return,”

“Bold of you to call it a favor,” Prisha retorted. “Now what is it?”

Francesca turned a corner and walked through an open doorway, motioning them inside. They entered what appeared to be a sort of war room, maps and diagrams pinned to the walls and spread across any available surface. Francesca walked toward a table and rolled out the paper that was there. It seemed to be a city map of Johnstown, likely taken from their city hall given the detail of the displayed buildings. Francesca placed a finger on top of a blue square. “A few weeks ago, we had an infestation of crawlers. Fastest way to corral them before they could cause more damage was by herding the fuckers into this warehouse. The only problem being that this warehouse holds key supplies for the continued function of Johnstown. They need to be cleared out,”

Prisha folded her arm in front of her. “Why not simply set up a firing squad in front of the doors and machine-gun them to bits?”

“Now where would be the fun in that?” Francesca quipped. “But seriously, do you have any idea how hard it is to get your hands on good ammo these days? No way I’m wasting it on this when I have other options at my disposal,”

Clementine looked at the map. “Are there any schematics on the building? Any structures to climb on top of or hide behind?”

Francesca shrugged. “There’s boxes of supplies, shelving, old light fixtures. I suppose I should warn you though: any supplies you damage in the process will be added to your bill. Keep that in mind before setting the place on fire,”

“And what if the walkers already broke some of your fucking supplies?” Violet growled. Prisha shot her a warning glance.

Francesca gave a false smile. “Well, I guess there’s just no way of knowing about that in advance, is there?” She turned to Prisha. “So, are you up for the challenge? You might need to get more creative with your solutions than you had in the past given your… condition. But I’m sure you’re up to the task,”

“Give us a moment,” Prisha motioned for Clementine and Violet to follow her outside. They walked a couple paces forward until they were out of earshot, then turned around. Prisha spoke first.

“It’s risky. I think we could do it, but I know enough to realize I might not have the clearest head right now. I’m leaving it up to your judgment,”

Clementine raised a hand to her lips, thinking. “Getting locked inside a warehouse with god knows how many walkers and as far as we know no escape route? It sounds like she wants to kill us,”

“Oh, she definitely does,” Violet chimed in.

Prisha shook her head. “Francesca does have a flair for the dramatic, but she’s not wasteful. I think she really believes we can do it,”

“And if we die in the process, fuck it. It’s no skin off her teeth,” Violet pointed out.

“Before we commit either way, why don’t we see if we can do recon on the building?” Clementine suggested. “The doors on either side would be too large and slow for Francesca to risk opening without walkers getting out. There must be an alternate way in, one that we can use to see inside and figure out what exactly we’re dealing with,”

It was the best plan they had. They went back in to talk with Francesca. She seemed amenable to the idea.

“When would you like to start?” she asked.

There was no doubt in their minds. Right now. The sooner they could get the hell out of Johnstown, the better.

\---

“See anything?” Clementine called up to Prisha. She was holding the ladder for her while Prisha looked through one of the windows to the inside. Prisha sighed and rubbed against the glass with her elbow. “These windows are filthy. It’s hard to see much through them. From what I can gather though, Francesca wasn’t kidding when she said the place was infested. There’s not a single spot on the floor where I don’t see them,”

Violet was silently cursing under her breath. She hadn’t wanted Prisha to have to climb that ridiculously tall ladder, but with Clem’s leg and her eyesight it was the only option.

Clementine cast her a worried glance, then looked upward again. “Are there any raised platforms? Places they can’t reach?”

Prisha shook her head. “There are plenty of stacks of boxes and shelving in there. It looks like it could hold our weight. The trick would be getting over to them. There are none against the walls,”

Clementine sighed. “It always comes back to walker guts, doesn’t it? Come on down, I think I have a plan,”

\---

They were able to procure a fresh walker corpse from Francesca. Beyond that though, she was unwilling to assist them with any further supplies.

“You have to be fucking kidding me!” Prisha growled. “You’re saying you won’t supply us with any further weapons, supplies, anything that would help us clean out your warehouse?”

“Please, Prisha. This is obviously a test. How could the results possibly be balanced if I gave you extra help?"

Prisha shook her head. “You’re a sick fuck, you know that? Messing with me is one thing, but to endanger my friends’ lives all for the sake of your twisted games-”

“Prisha, drop it,” Violet gripped her good arm. “We have what we need. We’ll make do,”

Prisha fell silent, but her eyes still burned with rage.

“See you soon,” Francesca quipped, brushing past them without a second glance.

\---

They had to get this right. There couldn’t be a single mistake made in this mission. One wrong move, and in their condition none of them were making it out. They surveyed the building thoroughly before finding a broken window near the back of the right side. Perfect. In most cases being afraid to break a window would constitute paranoia, but considering the limitations Francesca had already placed on them it was a fair wager to expect she would count breaking a window themselves as “damaging her goods” and thus cheating. Thankfully she hadn’t confiscated the ladder yet.

First they ensured that the ladder was stable in its place, the rest of the broken glass cleared out and the rope from their packs securely attached to some rebar on the window’s frame before they all circled their walker corpse for the next necessary step. Violet took the initiative, cutting through the gut savagely before digging in and dropping a pile of walker guts in her lap, spreading them generously across her entire body. Prisha and Clementine silently joined in. Once their fronts were done, they did each other’s backs, making sure to lay the rotting goop on thick until the air reeked of death and decay.

“First up the ladder?” Prisha asked.

Clementine raised her hand. “It should be me. I’ll be able to help either of you if your arm or Violet’s eyes cause trouble on the way down,”

That made sense. So the one-legged girl ended up climbing the ladder first, the other two waiting in tense silence as they saw her make her way up to the top before entering the window and descending within.

Violet went up next, her knuckles white as she grasped the ladder rungs. To her, it felt like there was nothing around her as she climbed, no ground or sky to be seen. Only the ladder. Getting to the top, she began to take the rope down slowly, hoping Clementine was already at the base. It seemed forever that she clung to that rope. When her feet finally touched the floor, she felt  
Clementine’s hand taking her own as they silently made their way over to the first row of shelving. As they walked, Violet could make out the vague forms of walkers all around them, as well as some already sprawled out on the ground, victims of Clementine’s knife and their own curiosity.

Once they reached the shelving, Clementine gave Violet a boost up. She watched her scrabble her way to the top before turning around to make her way back toward the warehouse wall where Prisha was descending the rope. Though her grip was clearly loose and her descent fast, Clementine was sure Prisha would have some rope burns to show from this one-armed endeavor. Prisha was only a few yards from the ground now. A walker drifted toward the direction of the rope. Too close for Clem’s liking. She swept her prosthetic leg out, knocking the walker over, then quickly kneeling to knife it in the skull. As Prisha landed, she gave her an appreciative nod.

As they made their way over to the shelving unit, Prisha and Clementine scanned the warehouse. There were walkers everywhere. Certainly dozens. A hundred for all they knew. But they weren’t trying to count them. They were looking for the final element they needed before they could put their plan into effect. They would have a better vantage point once they were on top of the shelving. Clementine boosted Prisha up onto the shelving, Violet reaching down to offer a hand up as well. As Clementine was holding Prisha, a walker made its way around the corner, moaning loudly. Clementine quickly tapped Prisha’s shoulder, gently dropping her back to the floor to free her hands for combat. Once the walker had been dealt with, Prisha was lifted up again, Clementine following closely behind her.

The three of them crouched atop the shelving, scanning the area. Prisha spotted what they needed first. Tapping both girls on the shoulders, she pointed in the direction of a line of hooks along the opposite wall. Bright yellow construction vests and hard hats were still lined up neatly along the walls, artifacts of a bygone era. Artifacts that would help them to spot each other amongst the hordes of walkers. That would enable Violet to fight alongside them without accidentally maiming them with a badly-directed swing of her cleaver in the process.

They began to make their way across the shelving toward the vests, following the same line order they had on their journey here: Prisha leading the way, Violet following closely behind, and Clementine guarding the rear, her hunting blade drawn and at the ready should anything suddenly go amiss. It would take a bit of fine maneuvering before they were where they needed to be. For this plan to work, they needed to remain silent throughout the entire mission. It remained to be seen whether they would accomplish this objective.

After walking down several shelves, they stopped in the middle of one for the next challenge in this phase: crossing the aisle silently. Below them, a pallet truck was wedged into the side of their shelving unit. If they could lower themselves onto it, the next shelving unit was a literal hop away, and with an open space for to catch their footing exactly where they needed it. Perhaps their luck was changing? The dozen walkers wandering through this particular aisle seemed to refute that. Clementine was the first one to cross. Lowered down onto the seat of the lift by Violet and Prisha, she readjusted her footing, waiting for a path to clear as a few walkers shuffled by. Taking a breath, she leapt across the gap, clearing it and landing gracefully on her toes. She turned around to be ready to help if need be.

Violet was lowered down next, ever so carefully. Then Prisha lowered herself down behind her, dangling with one arm on the shelving unit before risking the six inch drop and the small thud that the truck emitted on her landing. They all froze in anticipation, but none of the walkers seemed to have noticed. Perhaps they weren’t as sensitive as expected. Prisha gently maneuvered Violet toward the trunk of the car, getting her as close to the edge as possible. Clementine waited, set back a few steps to allow Violet space to stand.

Violet looked around from side to side. Fuck. She couldn’t tell if her eyesight had always been this bad or it was just her panic, but she didn’t feel like she could make anything out clearly. Not the positions of the walkers wandering back and forth, and certainly not her intended landing spot. There was nothing to be done though. She had to go for it. With a little grunt, Violet launched herself into the air.

She was just half an inch sort. She felt it as soon as she landed, her center of gravity pulling Violet backwards towards the ground. Clementine desperately reached out, wrapping her arms around Violet and pulling her in. She overcompensated though, and the two of them fell backwards, clanging loudly against the baseboard of the shelving unit.

The walkers definitely heard that. They swung towards the sound, pressing themselves against the shelving unit and jostling the truck on which Prisha still stood. The shelving unit Clementine and Violet were on began to tip back and forth. Not good. They had to stop this now. As Clementine and Violet scrambled toward the edge of the shelf, they could hear Prisha lightly grunting with effort and the dull thud of her axe entering a walker. Pulling out their weapons, they looked below them. Their shelf lay at about head level of the walkers, beyond their “sight”, but not their arms. They would have to be careful not to be grabbed.

Clementine jammed her knife through the mouth of a walker to her right, while Violet swung out to the leftmost walker. They could hear Prisha’s axe braining another walker, but no thud of the body hitting the ground. Clementine risked a glance. Prisha was keeping the end of her axe firmly embedded in the walker’s skull as she lowered in the ground. A risky move, but it would be worse if the four walkers that were attacking the opposite end of the aisle all came for her at once. Clem’s focus was diverted by a whispered swear from Violet. A walker had grabbed her wrist. Clementine brought her dagger smashing through the top of its skull while Violet cleaved its arm off at the wrist.

Only three more to go. Violet swung out at one, clipping its jaw and sending it stumbling back towards Prisha, who caught it on the end of her axe, delivering a second fatal blow. Clementine kicked another down then crouched to brain the other before Violet dealt the final blow to the last walker in the aisle. The trio shared a collective grin as they examined their handiwork. They made quite the team.

There wasn’t time to celebrate quite yet though. Clementine gave Violet a hand up to the top shelf before clearing a spot for Prisha to land, which she did with no issue. Wonderful. On to the vests. As they made their way to the end of this shelving unit, they could see the vests on the wall opposite them. They would have to get down on the floor to reach them. They counted eight walkers in their way. Now that they were in position, they could implement their primary method of attack.

Pulling out her bow, Clementine notched an arrow and aimed for the nearest walker. It was an easy kill. Now she just had to make 7 out of her 9 remaining shots perfect and hope no other walkers showed up once she had cleared a path. So simple. Clementine was extremely deliberate in her motions, making sure each arrow would find its mark. One by one, the walkers dropped till none remained in the aisle.

Now it was Prisha’s turn. Lowered down with a hand from each of the girls, Prisha touched down silently and glided across the floor, sidestepping walker corpses until she had reached the vests. Grabbing three, she put one on herself, then scampered over to throw the other two up to Violet and Clementine. At last they were ready. Violet was helped down as well. She mirrored Prisha’s movements as the two of them walked over to each zombie carcass, picking up the spent arrows. How had the phrase gone back in the day? Reuse, recycle, repurpose. If Francesca was unwilling to provide extra arrows, then they would use these ten over and over again until every walker was taken out.

Once the arrows were handed up to Clementine, Prisha and Violet reached out to pull down an enormous box from the bottom shelf. Better to have something to climb onto then to be constantly reaching for each others’ hands to get back up. As they pulled out the box, a loud growl came from behind it. A walker had somehow gotten itself pinned behind there. Prisha swung out with her axe and made quick work of it. However, this left Violet’s load unbalanced and her grip on the box slipped, causing it to tumble down to the floor. A series of raspy growls told them the sound had not been missed. Oh well, time for round two then. Violet hopped up on the box first, followed closely behind by Prisha. By the time they had righted themselves at the top, Clementine was already notching another arrow to meet the coming onslaught. Prisha and Violet crouched at the ready, waiting to do their part if needed.

The batch of walkers was mercifully small. Once the arrows had been recollected, the girls looked around the warehouse, searching for the best area to clear next. They quickly fell into a rhythm of moving to the next nearest patch of walkers, clearing them out, retrieving the arrows then climbing up to start again. A couple times a walker would make its way around the corner and Prisha or Violet would lash out to bring it down. They had to stay vigilant. The warehouse was immense and they could never be sure where the next walker would pop up. One even crawled out from below a shelving unit, grabbing onto Prisha’s ankles. Violet violently stomped on the walker’s wrists, hitting them with a barrage of blows with her cleaver till all that remained of its arms were rotting strips of flesh. When the walker wormed its way out further, Clementine took it out from above.

Finally, they began to sense that they were nearing the end. As they walked across the shelving units looking for more walkers, fewer and fewer remained to be found. They were all thankful. It was summertime so the sun wouldn’t set early, but they could all feel that their time with daylight was running short. They did not want to continue this hunt with flashlights. Once they felt that they had truly picked the pace clean, they did a final round to be extra safe. Finding no more walkers, they made their way toward the warehouse entrance. Opening those immense doors would be the final test to see if any sound drew more walkers out from the depths. As Violet and Prisha pushed the double doors open, Clementine stood with bow at the ready for whatever came their way.

Nothing did. They had accomplished their mission; the warehouse was clear.

“I can’t believe it,” Prisha said as they closed the doors behind them. “I can’t believe we actually did it. We made it out without even a scratch,”

“It’s pretty amazing,” Clementine agreed. “There were some close calls, but yeah, we’re all here. Still not bitten,”

Violet grinned. “God, I can’t wait to see the look of Francesca’s fucking face when we tell her we did it! Victory is sweet!”

Prisha smiled. “Don’t rub it in her face too much, ‘kay? Let’s leave the storytelling of this particular adventure for when we get home. For now, we’ll tell her that we did it and get the glasses process expedited,”

\---

They made their way back toward the front of Johnstown, finding Francesca standing by the same table they’d left her at, examining a map of local terrain. She looked up as they entered.

“I have to say, when I sent you out I didn’t expect you to return as a neon brigade,”

“The warehouse is clear,” Prisha responded. “Now where’s your optometrist,”

Francesca casually rolled up the map she’d been examining, tucking it in a bin of other maps before turning back to them.

“I expected no less from you, Prisha. Seems I was wrong in the call I made all those years ago. A shame, but I’m big enough to admit it,”

“The optometrist.” Prisha stated firmly. “Where is he?”

“Oh, he won’t be back here for at least three days,”

“What?!”

“We lent his services out to a nearby community in exchange for their help on a particular mission. There’s nothing to worry about though; he’ll be back soon enough.”

Violet’s anger was palpable. “What the fuck are we supposed to do until then?”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be taken care of,” Francesca responded, shooting her a sickly sweet smile. “There are open quarters near my own residence where you can stay while you wait,”

“We’ll be just fine outside the gates,” Clementine answered, a hand gently placed on Violet’s arm. “We’ll be back in three days to meet with the optometrist,”

“I’m sorry, but I must insist you stay inside Johnstown’s walls. We wouldn’t want any of Johnstown’s border guard spotting a bunch of vagabonds wandering our perimeter and get the wrong idea, now would we? After all, my men are trained to shoot first and ask questions later,”

The threat wasn’t even subtle. They would have to stay. The trio shared knowing looks. They would simply have to spend their time scouring the city for resources,

“I just had a marvelous idea!” Francesca exclaimed. “Why don’t you all come over to my place for dinner tomorrow night?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Prisha replied.

“I insist. It will give us all an opportunity to get to know each other better. 8 PM sharp, alright? I’ll see you there. Frank, take these girls to their quarters,”

An armed guard came up behind them. They weren’t getting out of this.

“Tomorrow night then,” Prisha’s tone was flat.

“Wonderful! I’m sure it will be a night none of us will forget,”

Big words. And for Francesca, that could mean anything. Anything at all.


	7. An Impromptu Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis, A.J. and Willy have a sleepover to distract themselves from worrying about the girls.

“Hey, Louis, you want to join us?”

Louis stood holding a solitary pillow, looking down at A.J. who was sitting with Willy on the floor in the middle of the pillows they had assembled for their fort. The two boys had been running around the school like crazy hunting for pillows and blankets, leading Louis to be a bit worried over the possibility that they would think of some crazy addition to the fort and run off god knows where without him knowing. Thus he had joined them in the hunt, bringing up the caboose with his arms stacked impossibly high with pillows and blankets while A.J. and Willy ran on ahead. Technically he still didn’t have his eyes on them due to the gargantuan bedding load blocking his view, but Louis took comfort in the fact that he was still fulfilling his promise to Clementine to look out for A.J. Now that they had gathered every possibly cushy item in the school he figured he would leave the boys to their devices, but instead the invitation had caught him off guard.

“Uh, you sure you want me butting in on you two’s fort?”

“What’re you talking about?” A.J. looked slightly peeved. “You’ve been helping us this whole time! You’re part of the team, dummy!”

“Yeah, dummy!” Willy piped in. He was already busy draping one of the spare sheets between the two bunkbeds.

“Well, OK then!” Louis shrugged with an easy smile. “You, me and dummy makes three, amirite?”

“What’s that mean?” A.J. wrinkled his nose in confusion.

“Ah, nevermind. It was a dumb joke. Hey, how about we tie this other sheet onto the sides of the bunkbeds so our pillow fort can have its very own hammock!”

“Awesome!!!” both boys exclaimed.

“Then let’s get to work!”

\---

It was an industrious few hours as they toiled away at their pillow fort. They tried out all sorts of ideas, many spectacularly failing, and others resulting in happy accidents. A particularly memorable failure turned success was when they tried to put Garbage in their first hammock and she ended up bringing the whole hammock down in her struggle, tangling herself in the sheet in the process. She struggled desperately for a minute or two, hissing up a storm as the boys chased her around the room, trying to free her. In the end, she became so tightly wrapped up in the sheet that it took on a sort of swaddling effect and she abruptly fell on her side, hissing in blissful pleasure as sleep took her.

“I’m definitely using that trick next time I want Garbage to hang out with me!” Willy exclaimed, tucking Garbage in the little pillow house they had made for her.

As they built, they also worked on their character backstories. Since it was a fort, Louis suggested they all take on knight names. A.J. became Sir A.J. the Awesome, Willy was Sir Willy the Wise and Louis was dubbed Sir Louis the Loud by the younger boys. When Ruby came by to tell them all that dinner was ready, they boldly announced that as knights they could not abandon their castle and that dinner must be brought to them. That didn’t pan out and they soon grew hungry, so sir Lou was sent on the quest for the Magic Stew. He came back bearing three servings which they quickly gulped down while sitting on pillows amongst their bedsheet walls.

Once it grew dark out, Louis carefully placed a candle on the ground far enough away from their pillow lair that it wouldn’t pose a danger. The boys then begun to play finger puppets with the shadows thrown on their sheet wall, each of them jumping in and interrupting each others’ stories as they recalled the fantastic tales of their adventures slaying walkers, dragons and any evildoer who threatened Castle Ericson. After a while, the younger boys found their eyes drooping as they lay back amidst the ocean of plush comfort. Louis decided to seize the opportunity to get them to bed at a reasonable hour, singing them a lullaby that he ad-libbed on the many adventures of Sir Louis the Loud. Willy was the first to give in to sleep, rolling over to lay a hand protectively over Garbage, who still hissed in peaceful slumber within her pillow lair.

Once A.J.’s eyes fell shut, Louis lifted the sheet to blow out the candle, then lay down again beside the boys. It was still early for him to be going to bed, but he didn’t want to risk waking the boys if he tried to sneak out and play the piano. Besides, he’s been playing the piano a ton lately. After a while, it stopped working as a distraction from missing Clementine and just made him miss her even more. Usually they would be up together at this time of night, talking about whatever ridiculous mundane thing had happened that day and making up silly little dreams for the future. Laying here in the silence, Louis tried to banish the thought that always crept up from the back of his mind: maybe there wouldn’t be a future with Clementine to plan for anymore.  
No, he couldn’t think like that. Sitting up, Louis pulled down one of the main pillows from his and Clem’s bed. He pressed the fabric to his face, inhaling deeply. He could still catch her scent on it: bright and sharp, like the pines. God, he missed her so bad.

“Louis, what are you doing?”

Louis pulled his face back from the pillow in shock. A.J. was watching him closely, his brow quirked in curiosity.

“Hey, little dude. I thought you were already asleep,”

A.J. shrugged. “I was. But I wake easy. It’s something Clem and I learned back on the road,”

The pair was quiet for a second.

“Do you…” A.J. began, “Do you think she’s safe out there? On the road?”

Louis nodded. “I’m sure she is. You and I both know Clementine is too much of a badass to let anything happen to her, especially with Violet and Prisha alongside her as well,”

A.J. nodded. “Yeah, she’s tough. Prisha’s tough too. I know she’s tough too since she told me all the stories about bad guys she killed. And Violet… well, when she gets angry she’s almost as scary as Clem!”

Louis chuckled at that assessment. “You’ve got that right! Man, I can’t think of a trio I’d be willing to cross less than those three!”

“Trio?”

“It’s another word for a group of three people. It sounds cool, right?”

“Yeah, it does!” A.J. agreed. He thought for a second. “I guess you, me and Clem are a trio too then?”

Louis felt his heart warm at those words. “Yeah, we definitely are,”

A.J. lay back on his pillow, playing with a loose thread on one of the corners. “Y’know, back when Clem and I were on the road and it was just the two of us every day, sometimes I would get lonely. I would tell her I wanted more people around and Clem would just say ‘Careful what you wish for’. She met a whole lot of bad people before she found me, so I knew she was right. Now Clem and me and you are a trio. Before when it was just Clem and me…” He propped himself up on an elbow. “Is there a fancy word for just two people?”

“A duo,”

“Doo-oh. Yeah, we were a duo, but now with you we’re a trio. I think I like that better,”

That surprised Louis. “Oh yeah, buddy? Why’s that?”

“First rule of survival is never go alone. Now when I want to go play, I don’t need to worry about Clem ‘cause she’s got you. And when Clem had to go, she didn’t need to worry about you or me ‘cause she told us both to watch out for each other. So none of us ever go alone, even if we switch,”

“That’s true,” Louis smiled. “I’m glad I get to hang out with you. These past few days I’ve spent so much time in the music room I think I got lonely without even realizing I was doing that to myself, hiding away in there. But today with you and Willy, I haven’t laughed that much in weeks!”

A.J. giggled. “Our plan worked then! I knew it would!”

“Wait, your plan?” The gears in Louis’ head turned. “Don’t tell me… you guys did this for me?”

“Of course we did! Clem made me promise to look out for you ‘cause that’s the rule when you’re a trio. I gotta make sure you’re not alone too!”

Louis’ eyes welled up a bit. “Gosh, A.J., thanks. It means a lot. And here I thought I was watching out for you!”

“Why not both?” A.J. yawned. “Anyway, we should go to bed. Clem would be mad if she knew we were up talking so late,”

“Oh, definitely,” Louis nodded in mock seriousness he hoped A.J. would mistake for the real thing. “We’ll both have to give her a report when she gets back!”

“Maybe when she’s back, we can build a fort all over again! What do you think her knight name would be?”

“Clem’s name?” Louis scrunched up his face in concentration. What word could properly capture how awesome Clementine was? “How about Clementine the Courageous?”

“Kur-ay-jus?”

“It means brave. After all, I don’t think I know anybody as brave as Clem. Except maybe you,”

“Yeah, that’s perfect! Once she comes back we’ll tell her her name, and then we’ll have the best storytime ever!”

“You bet! Until then though, we gotta go to bed. K?”

“Ok, night, Louis,” A.J. rolled over on his side, immediately going still.

“Night, kiddo,” Louis whispered. He lay down on his back. Clem’s pillow still lay beside him. Louis chuckled to himself. Clem had Louis Pillow, now he had Pillowtine.

“He’s a good kid, Clem,” Louis thought to himself as he looked at the pillow. “I can’t wait for you to come home so we can be a trio once again. Forever and always,” With those comforting thoughts, he finally felt himself slipping into a deep, peaceful sleep.


	8. The Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls use their time before the dinner party as efficiently as possibility, visiting an abandoned library in search of valuable information.

Their evening may be doomed, but the morning was theirs. At dawn, the trio stepped out of the apartment Francesca had placed them in and onto the streets of Johnstown. It was finally time to start fulfilling their objective: gathering intel and information that they could bring back to Ericson. The best place to start would be a library, that is, if there was one in the rescued section of the town. As they made their way down the block, it was clear that they were being watched.

“The least they could do is be a bit more subtle,” Violet grumbled, shooting a glance to where two armed guards stood staring at them, hands on the stocks of their guns. “It’s pretty fucking damning when the half blind girl can tell you’re spying,”

“They won’t do anything,” Prisha stated as they turned a corner. “If there’s anything Francesca loves, it’s bluffing. They’re here to throw us off balance, not to attack us,”

“Still,” Clementine responded, “It’s hard not to be paranoid when she seems crazy enough to make any of her bluffs a reality,”

“Fair enough,” Prisha sighed. “She’s certainly not easy to read. Not what she’s really thinking anyways,”

Once they had reached the main square, they learned from some civilians that there was a library near the outskirts of Johnstown’s safe zone. It wasn’t used much though. All energy in Johnstown was focused on two things: reinforcement and expansion. Every person they saw walking the streets who wasn’t a soldier was clearly working, fixing a patch on the wall or adding a reinforcing beam, toting construction supplies here and there and surveying the wall. There was the constant buzz of work wherever they went.

“It's definitely a busy town,” Clementine noted.

Prisha nodded. “The Deliverance were never ones for waste. If you couldn’t contribute, you had no place with them,”

“Sounds like a group I fell into several years back,”

“Yeah? How old were you at the time?”

“Thirteen,”

“Sounds about right. Groups like this like to recruit young. Get members while they’re impressionable and teach them that there’s nothing more important than loyalty to the cause,”

“And what cause would that be?” Violet asked.

“Survival. By any means necessary,” Prisha’s face was pensive. “We should keep moving,”

\---

When they reached the library, the girls found it to be utterly abandoned. They drew their weapons and decided to do a quick sweep of the place. Though it wasn’t frequented by the community, no walkers were to be found inside the library’s walls. Once the girls were confident of that fact, they closed the double doors behind them and settled in.

Their plan of action was to cover as much content as they could in the short time they had. Prisha had the most reading experience among the three, so she settled down at the table, speed reading whatever was placed in front of her. Clementine and Violet roamed the aisles, pulling out whatever books looked important to them. Clementine took a more focused approach, trying to find the most promising titles, while Violet went to the sections that were most relevant to them and grabbed entire armfuls of books.

Prisha had the notebook Aasim had given her out by her side. They wouldn’t be able to take very many complete books with them. Therefore they had to determine which books were essential and which merely ancillary, summarizing the sections that were valid to them and leaving the rest. In some cases where Prisha found a particularly relevant page she would simply rip it out of the book, adding it to the neat pile of loose leaf pages she had organized to take along with them.

Books on survival skills, fishing and hunting, woodworking and the like were stacked in one pile on the table. Midwifery, prenatal health and baby books were stacked in another pile, medical books forming their own pile beside them. Whenever Clementine or Violet returned with an armful of books, Prisha would update them on what she had found thus far, letting them know what books were proving useful and which were irrelevant or beyond her comprehension, helping them refine their search as they continued to comb through the library shelves. The large windows on either side of the main hall gave them plenty of light to work with. As they made their way through the aisles, dust particles danced through the air around them, causing the girls to occasionally sneeze.

“Considering the state the library’s in, I’m guessing Francesca won’t mind us taking anything from here,” Clementine noted, brushing some cobwebs from a book she had just grabbed.

“Still wouldn’t put it past her to hold it against us if we take anything though, just to fuck with us,” Violet muttered.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Prisha replied. “Francesca is more likely to burn books for warmth than read one herself. She never struck me as an education type either. If she ever needed something she couldn’t do herself, she would search for a professional she could utilize before consulting a book. Still, if it comes to it, we’ll dump the books and simply carry back what we can hold in our own memory,”

Once the more practical books had been gathered, they took some time to look for more personal interests. Clementine walked through the children’s section, picking out a few titles she thought A.J. might like. Violet found the music section and pulled down a stack of books containing sheet music from old musicals. When she plunked it down beside Prisha, she saw a fleeting smile cross her girlfriend’s face. Violet immediately set out to make that smile appear again. Clementine joined her in the music section, grabbing sheet music for Louis that she thought he might like, classical pieces from the greats. Hopefully between the three of them they could remember the titles of the songs he had back home and only bring him new material.

They of course had to grab some cooking books for Omar. There wouldn’t really be any that were catered to a survivalist lifestyle, so instead they would have to sift through them and pick and choose certain recipes to either copy down or rip out of the books. The trio’s choices ranged from practical options like new stew variants to dream recipes like cakes and pies. Perhaps someday they would have a working stove again and damnit, on that day they would eat cake!

When Prisha needed a reading break, Clementine took over, allowing her time to explore the library for herself. In the engineering section, she found various practical blueprints on engines, plumbing, lighting and more. She hoped there were some diagrams in there that she and Willy could use to keep improving the school. She also picked up a book on DIY science experiments that she was sure Willy and A.J. would both enjoy. For Aasim, she headed to the classics section. He had written a few beloved titles down for her, telling her not to make them a priority by any means, but she knew if she could even bring one back it would mean the world to him. She also picked up a few rather… erotic romance novels for Ruby. She figured focusing on cowboys would be the best match for Ruby’s tastes, so she grabbed a few options. Clementine and Violet could help her choose the best one later.

There was a handful of books that they found on West Virginia wildlife and topography. Not a substantial amount by any means given their current location in Pennsylvania, but as soon as Prisha noticed them she called for the others to pause. They couldn’t take these books with them. They shouldn’t even take notes from them. They couldn’t risk Francesca having any idea of where Ericson was located. Any relevant information within those books would need to be memorized.

They didn’t stop for lunch. They needed to preserve the rations in their packs, and it was too much of a bother to try to find food in Johnstown. Besides, they would eat dinner soon enough and there was sure to be plenty of food there, that is if it wasn’t poisoned as Violet sarcastically suggested. They devoted every one of their attention to the books, skimming through dozens of them, filling the pages of the notebook full with precious pointers and wisdom from the musty volumes.

\---

All too soon, night fell upon them, the rays of sunlight waning and the library dimming. They all knew what was coming. They gathered the relevant books together, evaluating what they had so far. It was already too much. They would have to narrow their selections further. They placed the notebook and a few essential titles in their packs on the chance they would not receive another chance to return, then headed out in silent trepidation back to their apartment. Soon it would be dinnertime. Who knew what they would be walking into there?


	9. The Dinner Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls go to Francesca's dinner party as instructed, wary of what they are about to face.

Francesca had set herself up inside a mansion. It didn’t surprise any of them when they were escorted to the front entrance and began the long walk to the dining hall. Francesca craved power and control. Everything she did was a show of strength. Her house was no different. As they made their way inside, they were flanked by the same guards that had guided them here for dinner. They were also the same ones that had been blatantly watching them during the morning.

Prisha eyed their guns with distrust. “Nothing quite says you’re a dinner guest like having armed guards escort you to the table,”

One of the guards snorted in disgust. “Missing the special treatment you used to receive back when you were Francesca’s pet?”

“Hey!” Violet growled, reaching instinctively for the meat cleaver she’d already surrendered. “You shut your fucking mouth!”

“Violet, please,” Prisha warned, eyes large.

The guard laughed. “What’s the matter? Don’t like hearing the truth on the beds your friend here has hopped into?”

“Matthew, that’s enough,” Francesca’s voice languidly flowed from the dining room entrance. “I can hear you baiting the guests from here,”

The mouthy guard bowed his head as he entered the room. “My apologies, ma’am. It won’t happen again,”

“That’s better,” Francesca looked upon her guests from her seat at the head of a massive table. “Ladies, welcome to my humble abode. My apologies for the late hour. I had other matters to attend to first,” She motioned towards the table. “There are place settings out for each of you. Please, sit,”

They made their way to the end of the table, eyeing the name tags that had been set before each plate. Prisha had been placed on one side of the table to the right of Francesca, Clementine and Violet to the other side. No surprise there. A cold soup was set before each of them. Was this going to be a full-course meal? They raised their spoons, cautiously tasting the soup. It was some sort of gazpacho.

“Excellent food, isn’t it?” Francesca asked them. “I’ve made it my mission to bring the best of the best to Johnstown. Our chef is world-class, used to own a Michelin restaurant on the coast. I suppose all his knife skills came in handy for surviving the past ten years,”

The girls were silent. None of them were much for small talk. Francesca continued.

“It certainly is a step up from the meals we used to get when you were with us, eh, Prisha? Back then we’d eat anything we could get our hands on: roadkill, rats… I remember there was a time we even threw bark into the soup to try to give it more flavor. And now...” she raised her spoon dramatically. “We eat like kings. I always told you I would get us here,”

Prisha’s jaw was set tight, eyes focused on the wall across from her. Violet and Clementine exchanged a tense look.

“What’s the matter, Prisha?” Francesca swirled her wine glass, taking a sip. “Go on, spit it out,”

“I have nothing to say to you,”

“Oh, really?”

“Because I know what your response would be,”

Francesca hummed in amusement. “I see. Enlighten me then, Prisha. Why do you think I left you for dead in that warehouse off the Pennsylvania interstate?”

The room was silent, waiting for Prisha’s answer. Her voice was a firm monotone as she spoke. “I had become a liability. I was of more use to you as a decoy than as a member of the Liberation,”

“That’s exactly right. The problem with recruiting so young is that while passionate, they often lack control. Perspective. Only age can bring the wisdom needed to be a true asset,”

“Yet despite that belief, you still prefer them young,” Prisha eyed the girl who was bringing them their next course, tossed salads. She looked to be around Omar’s age. She kept her head lowered as she switched their plates.

“Thank you, Heather,” Francesca smiled at the girl. She took a bite of her salad as the girl left the room before continuing. “Although I felt sure in my decision at the time, seeing you now, I can’t help but feel that perhaps I made a mistake. For you to survive this long on your own is quite a feat,”

“I wasn’t alone,” Prisha answered, meeting her eyes. “I found a group: people who had been abandoned just like me, who knew what it was like to be unwanted,”

Francesca’s gaze didn’t falter. “It’s seems you’ve fallen in just fine with that group. You three make quite the unit, even despite your…” She eyed Violet disdainfully. “Shortcomings,”

Prisha didn’t take the bait. “No, that was a different group. They were all killed. Raiders,”

Francesca took another sip of her wine. “Does that remind you of yourself, Prisha?” She turned to Violet and Clementine. “Back when Prisha was with us, she was being trained to be an infiltrator, getting herself into communities under false pretenses, gathering intel, then finding an opening for our strike team to make their way inside. She was quite good at it too. Just the right age to maintain the innocence and charm of a child while having the experience looked for in an adult. I can’t recall how many communities she convinced to welcome her inside with open arms, acting like a poor, lost waif without any home or allegiance to return to. It seems she’s still quite good at that act,”

Violet’s knuckles were white, gripping the tablecloth by her knees. Surprisingly, it was Clementine who spoke up.

“Prisha is a true friend. One in whom I place my complete trust. Whatever you have to say about the Prisha of your past, that isn’t the girl who’s here today,”

Francesca looked unimpressed. “Touching words to be sure. Tell me, has she been with you a long time? A few years perhaps?”

“That’s none of your concern. I believe I made myself clear: nothing you say could shake our faith in Prisha. So don’t bother,”

“Such a trusting attitude, Clementine. It’s surprising in someone who’s spent as long on the road as you have,”

Clementine’s brow knitted in confusion. What could this woman know about her past?

“Tell me this – did you pick up that sort of attitude from Louis?”

Clementine felt her stomach churn. How did she know Louis’ name? They’d been careful to keep their packs with them at all times. Even tonight when they’d had to leave them they’d barricaded the door to prevent anyone with a spare key from sneaking in. There hadn’t been a moment without them expect – her eyes shot up to see Francesca’s smirk.

“It was a wise choice to leave your packs outside the warehouse last night. Wouldn’t want it weighing you down or a walker grabbing onto it when you least expect it. Every choice comes with a price though. The drawings A.J. sent with you are charming. Is he perhaps your son?”

Clementine’s hand instinctively went for the knife at her setting. The guards stepped forward, guns raised. Prisha and Violet both crouched at the ready, eyes scanning the room.

“Now, now, there’s no need for theatrics,” Francesca finished off her wine. “It’s not as if I have A.J. captive in the other room. Although that would be quite the trick,”

Violet’s teeth were clenched. “Listen here, you fucking-”

“Francesca, tell me about Johnstown,” Prisha interjected. “Have you been here long?”

“About two years now,” Francesca leaned back in her chair. “The previous leaders had no idea how to run a community. Things would have burned to the ground if we hadn’t come along,”

Prisha raised an eyebrow, but her outer appearance remained calm. “The vast majority of people were here before you arrived then? They’re not all Deliverance?”

Francesca snorted. “God, no! I wish I could have handpicked everyone here. Sadly, people don’t take too kindly to a culling, so I’ll have to make due with what we have. In all honesty, running this place can get rather boring at times. As much as the conditions were shit, I miss the chase, the thrill of finding something new around each bend. I suppose it’s true what they say.” Her eyes were locked with Prisha’s. “It gets lonely at the top,”

Before Prisha could respond, the double doors to the dining hall burst open. Four more guards strode in, dragging two men across the floor behind them. The prisoners were forced to kneel before them. One of the guards stepped forward, pulling off his combat helmet. It was Tyrone.

Francesca looked slightly peeved at the introduction. “Really, Tyrone? In front of my salad?”

“My apologies, ma’am,” Tyrone gave a deferential nod before motioning to the prisoners. “It’s Jones and McCullough. They were caught stealing from the infirmary,”

Francesca stood up, making her way over to the two men. She stood before them silently, her back turned to the table. Both men’s gazes were glued to the floor. Suddenly, Francesca drew a gun from underneath the hem of her shirt, shooting one of the men point blank in the head. His body crumpled lifeless to the floor as the other man screamed in terror.

“Take that away,” Francesca ordered, motioning with her gun at the corpse. “And get some fucking cleaners in here to deal with the carpet. I don’t want it to stain. Now you,” She turned to the surviving man who was still screaming frantically and slapped him hard across the face. “Get yourself together if you don’t want the same fate!”

The man immediately silenced himself, cowering before her.

“Tell me, McCullough, do you know why I killed Jones and not you?”

“N-no, ma’am,”

“Good. There wasn’t a reason. The fact that you’re still breathing air right now while Jones’ corpse will be added to the trash heap is simply a coincidence. You’re going to make sure it has meaning though. Do you know what the punishment is for stealing, McCullough?”

“Please, I had a reason-”

“I don’t give a fuck about reasons. Answer the question,”

“Banishment or death,”

“From your response at Jones’ untimely demise, I’m guessing you’d prefer banishment?”

“Please,”

Francesca eyed the man calmly, slowly circling him. “You have a family, don’t you, McCullough? Would you like to see them again?”

“Please, I’m begging you, don’t bring them into this,”

“Why, McCullough, I’m hurt,” Francesca placed the hand holding the gun to her heart. “This isn’t an execution I’m ordering, it’s possible redemption. Are you interested?”

McCullough’s Adam’s apple could seen as he nervously swallowed. “What do I have to do?”

Francesca smiled. “Right answer. You, my friend, will be heading up the team of volunteers I’ve assembled to reclaim the manufacturing district,”

“What?” McCullough’s voice cracked. “But that part of town’s flooded with walkers! It’s a suicide mission!”

“Really now?” Francesca motioned back toward her dinner guests. “These three young things cleared out an entire warehouse on their own. Surely you can do better than that? Or you can borrow my gun if you’d like to join Jones right now?” She held out her pistol with an open palm.

“No,” McCullough answered. “No, I’ll do it,”

“Good boy,” Francesca turned to Tyrone whose eyes had been trained on the wall throughout the entire ordeal. “Throw him in the county jail with the others. I’ll deal with this in the morning,”

“Yes, ma’am,” Tyrone pulled McCullough to his feet, escorting him out of the room. A second after they left, two women came in with a soapy bucket of water and began to scrub the large bloodstain on the carpet.

Francesca turned back to her guests. “My apologies on the interruption to our dinner. It seems like I have some unexpected business to attend to. Don’t worry, I’ll have Omar bundle up the other courses and have them sent to your apartment,”

They looked at Francesca in shock.

“Kidding!” Francesca laughed. “God, not much of a sense of humor amongst you three, is there? You can go,”

She needn’t say any more. They immediately stood up from their chairs, heading toward the door. As Prisha passed though, Francesca touched her shoulder. “Not you quite yet,”

Prisha turned to her friends. Violet’s eyes were huge, Clementine’s not far behind. “Wait outside. I’ll be there in a minute,”

They were loath to go, but they couldn’t risk a fight. As the doors closed behind them, Francesca turned to Prisha with a smile. “Finally, a moment alone,”

“If you don’t count the washerwomen scrubbing the blood out of your rug,”

“Always ready with a quip, aren’t you, Prisha? I always liked that about you,” Francesca reached up to brush a stray hair from her cheek. Prisha flinched, jerking back.

“Haven’t I aged out of your taste range?”

“On the contrary, you’re making me rethink it,” Francesca hummed deep within her throat. “I never would have imagined you’d walk back into my life,”

“I didn’t plan to,”

“Fate works in mysterious ways,”

“I don’t believe in destiny,”

“Believe what you want,” Francesca gestured to the table before them. “The display was a bit gaudy I’ll admit, but I believe I got my point across. You can’t be living nearly as comfortably out on the road with those vagabonds as you could be within the comforts of Johnstown’s walls,”

“You can’t be fucking serious,”

“Why not?”

“You left me for dead! I was tortured because of you, almost executed! And for what? So you could conquer some unsuspecting community that you simply abandoned for another one months later?”

“I always liked it when you were angry,” Francesca grabbed Prisha’s bad arm. “It brings out the fire in you,”

Prisha threw her whole body into yanking her arm away. “So help me god, Francesca. If this optometrist isn’t back in two days, if you’ve been lying to me in some sort of sick attempt at getting a fuck, I will burn this place to the ground myself,”

“Oh, the optometrist is real,” Francesca responded. “It wouldn’t be any fun to lie about that. And don’t worry, I won’t take this rejection personally. There’s still plenty of time to change your mind,”

“Fuck you, Francesca,” With that, Prisha slammed open one of the double doors, making her way down the hall and towards the entrance. She found Clementine and Violet waiting outside, their weapons drawn.

“What the fuck happened in there?” Violet asked.

“This whole place is a fucking joke,” Prisha spat, walking past them. “Let’s get back to the apartment. We need to count the letters and burn whatever hasn’t been taken,”

“Did she say something?” Clementine asked, striving to catch up with her.

“Nothing we didn’t already know. As soon as we get those glasses, we’re getting the hell out of here and never looking back,”

“Fuck yeah!” Violet cheered. Their mission wasn’t over yet. They were still in dangerous waters. But they weren’t going to back down now.


	10. Helpless Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Willy and Aasim talk about their worries and fears for their missing friends.

Aasim was surprised to see Willy over by the graveyard. It wasn’t somewhere he visited often, but there he stood now, placing some wilted dandelions atop Mitch’s grave. Aasim wondered if he should go over there. Part of him wanted to respect the privacy of the moment, but the other wondered if Willy needed a friend right about now. The latter option felt more important. Aasim quietly made his way over to Willy.

“Hey,” he spoke softly, not wanting to startle Willy. Willy turned to him with a weak smile. He stretched out his hand, offering his remaining dandelions. Aasim wordlessly took them, laying them atop the other dandelions. The boys stood in silence beside each other, looking at the grave. “You don’t come here often,” Aasim noted.

Willy shook his head, softly sniffing. “Yeah, I don’t. It’s still hard. But I wanted to ask Mitch something,”

What could there possibly be to ask a ghost? Before Aasim could speak, Willy answered his question.

“I was asking him to watch out for Prisha,”

“You… think he can do that?”

“Sure he can. What’s the good of being a ghost if you can’t travel wherever you want? Normally I figure he sticks around Ericson watching out for all of us, but I figure since we couldn’t go along I’d ask him to check on the girls and give ‘em backup,”

Aasim examined Willy skeptically. These last few years had seen him grow taller. It was only a matter of time till he passed Aasim. Yet the mind inside that body was still that of a child. Aasim wasn’t sure what the right call was here. There wasn’t really any point in crushing Willy’s fantasies was there?

“I know what you’re thinking,” Willy muttered.

“Yeah?”

“You think I’m nuts,”

“I think… it’s a nice thought,”

“That’s what people say when they can’t come up with anything nicer,”

Suddenly, Garbage emerged from the bushes beside them, happily munching on a stick. Willy crouched down to gently scratch behind her ears. The possum hissed in contentment, plopping over mere inches from Mitch’s grave. Willy stared at the worn out writing upon the wooden cross. “Y’know, this is where I met Prisha. After dragging her through the woods anyways. It was after she woke up and was looking around. She asked me who everyone was who was buried here,”

“I didn’t know that,”

Willy nodded. “The next day, I saw her putting some flowers on the graves. Nothing fancy since she couldn’t go outside yet. Just some dandelions she found in the yard. We sat here for a while and she listened to me talk about Mitch for a while. It was nice,”

Aasim had never heard any of this before. He always figured that Willy and Prisha had bonded over their mutual love of science experiments, that Prisha had reminded Willy of Mitch in that way. He heard a sniff from below him and realized that Willy was crying, his tears dripping down onto Garbage’s exposed belly as she hissed happily.

“I get why none of you talked about it,” Willy murmured. “About Mitch’s death, I mean. So much was going on. Clementine and Violet were hurt; everyone was busy. And after everything that happened, we all just wanted to be happy once they were OK. But still, sitting with Prisha and having her listen to stories of how Mitch used to look out for me…. It meant a lot,” The tears were falling faster now. Aasim crouched beside Willy, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey there. You know you can talk to me anytime, right? I know I was busy back then, but still, I should have asked. I should’ve listened. I’m sorry,”

“Nu uh,” Willy shook his head, scrubbing his eyes viciously. “I’m not mad. You did what you had to do. It’s just these last few days I’ve been thinking about it a lot. It helped a lot, talking to Prisha.   
But I don’t-” his voice faltered. “I don’t want to come back here and talk with someone about how much Prisha meant to me if s-she…”

“Willy, don’t think like that,” Aasim urged. “We both know how strong Prisha is,”

“Mitch was strong too! He was the strongest of all of us and he died first when those raiders came!”

“They’re being safe, Willy. They’re not going up against any raiders,”

“You don’t know that! None of us know anything! Just shut up, Aasim, just-” Willy roughly pushed Aasim to the ground, running off in the direction of the dorms. Aasim sat on the ground, dumbfounded. It wasn’t like the push had hurt or anything; he’d already been crouching beside Willy. But it had been a long time since Willy had struck out like that. What could he even do to help Willy? How could you comfort someone when you had no sure answers to give them?

\---

The rest of the morning passed without Aasim and Willy crossing paths. Aasim figured it was the best course of action to give Willy some space. By the time that dinner rolled around though and he still wasn’t to be seen, Aasim had grown worried.

“Hey,” he looked at the others as he approached the picnic tables. “Have any of you seen Willy?” A.J. and Louis shook their heads. Omar was busy placing the finishing touches to dinner.  
Ruby walked forward, her hands on her hips. “I thought I heard him fiddlin’ around with something in the basement, but I haven’t seen him down there since the girls’ve been gone. Do you need me to check?”

“No, that’s alright. I’ve got it. I’ll go find him,” Aasim walked inside the dorms, finding the basement door. It was locked, but he could hear some sort of tinkering coming from inside. He’d have to take the long way then. Heading back outside, Aasim pulled open the cellar doors. Even though he tried to place them down lightly, they still let out a loud clang as they reached their resting position. Gingerly, Aasim made his way down the steps into the dark basement. A faint glow from far in the back led him to where Willy was sitting hunched over the table, a screwdriver in one hand, fiddling with some sort of metal joint.

“Hey, Willy? Dinner’s ready,”

“I’m good,”

“Since when have you turned down a meal?” Aasim stepped forward, trying to peer over Willy’s shoulder. “What are you working on?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Willy grumbled. “It’s not working anyway,”

“Would it help to have a pair of ears to describe it to?”

Willy didn’t turn around. But after a second, he pulled back the stool beside him. Aasim took the seat. He could see now that there was more than just metal to the design. There were circular leather straps as well, almost reminiscent of…

“Is this… a new brace for Prisha? I thought you made her a new one right before she left,”

“Yeah, but that was just a copy of the old design. I wanted to try something new and see if I could give her some movement back if I attached joints near the elbow and wrist,”

“That sounds amazing,”

Willy shrugged. “It’s not like it would give her her arm back. Mostly it’d let her hold stuff with the arm so she’s not always holding it in her mouth instead,”

Aasim remembered Prisha sticking some pretty questionable things in her mouth during her experiments. More than once he’d seen Violet chasing her about the yard, trying to get her to spit out whatever inedible of possibly poisonous thing she’d decided to stick between her lips. The memories brought a smile to his face. “I’m sure she’ll find that useful. What seems to be the problem?”

“Well, first off I don’t have the right measurements so who knows if I’m putting the joints in the right places. I mean, I have the measurements for her arm, but only when it’s straight ‘cause that’s what we needed for the first brace. But even if I had the right measurements, these stupid screws are too tight to allow the joints to move at all!”

“Can I see?”

Willy offered him the metal brace and Aasim turned it over in his hands. “Maybe it’s just a matter of oiling it properly?”

“We don’t have anything for that,”

“What about Omar’s cooking oil?”

Willy’s eyebrows raised. “That.. might actually work,”

“Alright,” Aasim rose from his seat. “At the risk of my own life, I’m going to sneak into the greenhouse and steal some of Omar’s vegetable oil, OK? Don’t move, I’ll be right back,” With that he rushed out of the basement, ready to take on his perilous quest.

\---

The vegetable oil wasn’t the cure-all they were hoping for, but it did slick up the joints somewhat and got them moving on the right track. Aasim and Willy became completely absorbed in their project, barely noticing the dinner plates that Ruby gently placed beside them on the worktable. They weren’t making great progress, but they were committed to see the task through, discussing different jointing techniques and applying various materials to the new brace prototype in their quest to surprise Prisha with a functioning arm on her return. Before they knew it, a cold night wind blowing in from the open cellar doors caused them to look outside and realize night had fallen.

“We’ll have to come back to this tomorrow,” Aasim said reluctantly. “Maybe a good night’s sleep and some morning light will help us gain some perspective on how to solve this,”

“You go ahead, I’m gonna keep working,”

“Willy…” Aasim looked sadly upon his friend. He couldn’t leave him like this. “Tell you what. How about you spend the night in Ruby and I’s room?”

“You sure? Wouldn’t that be… weird?”

“Dude, it’s not like we’re gonna do anything while you’re in the room! Just…” Aasim sighed. “There’s a spare bunk across from ours. We can stay up a bit later, make some tea, and I promise you as soon as it’s light out we’ll get back to this, OK?”

Willy seemed unsure, but finally nodded. The two boys headed up the cellar stairs, stepping out into the night air. The sound of crickets thrumming was loud as they made their way through the grass and toward the dorms.

“Hey, Aasim?”

“Yeah?”

“Sorry for pushing you earlier,”

“It’s OK,”

“And… thanks. For listening,”

Aasim smiled at Willy, placing an arm on his shoulder as they continued walking.

“Anytime, buddy. Anytime,”


	11. The Glasses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At last the glasses are theirs.

Francesca hadn’t lied about the optometrist. He showed up on the third day as promised and they were promptly escorted to meet with him in his office. It was a surprisingly clean space by apocalypse standards, clearly scrubbed down on a regular basis. The eye doctor was a small, mousy looking man, the type that wouldn’t be expected to have survived this long. The girls wondered how he had made himself useful before the existence of this office. There wasn’t time to pry though. The doctor, who introduced himself as Edwin, was gentle and polite. Johnstown had solar panels working to supply certain key locations such as this one. The setup was impressive, with his entire array of machines functioning with the touch of a button. It was rather surreal being inside the office, almost as though they had stepped inside the past.

Violet sat awkwardly in the chair, a large ocular device in front of her eyes with a series of different lenses that Edwin flipped through, asking her if 1 or 2 was clearer for her, then 3 or 4 and so on. It became clear almost immediately that she was fully blind in her right eye, which they had already figured. Her left eye provided somewhat of a challenge for Edwin as he continued to flip between more and more lenses, with Violet straining to determine which options worked better for her. Finally, Edwin pulled away from the machine, leading Violet to another which blew a puff of air into her eye while taking photographs, then dilating her eyes in order to get certain readings on them.

Throughout the entire process Clementine and Prisha stood huddled in the corner of the tiny room, watching Edwin warily. As pleasant as he was, they were sure Edwin would report anything he learned back to Francesca if she asked it of him. That was the vibe they had gotten from all citizens of Johnstown they had talked to: pleasant, but nothing more. There wasn’t any trust being built from their conversations, only a tacit evaluation going on underneath the surface. It felt as though Francesca’s eyes were watching them through the people at all times.

After waiting around for the test results, they were finally rewarded as Edwin emerged from his adjacent office, pulling the photos of Violet’s eye up on the screen for them to view. As they expected, the damage was extensive and irreparable given his current facilities. Nothing unexpected. They had never considered risking a surgery anyway. Then Edwin told them what they had been hoping to hear: he could make a lens that would restore a great amount of Violet’s vision, placing it in a frame with a clear piece of glass on the side with the blind eye. Their hearts fell though when he told them the wait time for such a specialized pair of glasses: two weeks. They excused themselves from the room to discuss the matter.

“God, if I have to stay in this fucking town for two more weeks…”

“It’s worth it,” Prisha’s tone was firm. “We came here not knowing what sort of news we’d receive and now we’re hearing that you could be seeing ten times better than you currently are with those glasses. It’s worth it,”

“I dunno, all the lenses he had me look through were still pretty fucking blurry,”

Prisha sighed. “He says you need specialized bifocals. I know that sounds like a load of bullshit to you, but it is a thing,”

“Can he be trusted though?” Clementine asked. “What if this is all an elaborate ruse to keep us here?”

“I don’t think he’d do that. Most of the people here were taken on by Francesca, not part of her original crew. I genuinely believe what Edwin is telling is the truth,”

“It is risky,” Clementine noted. “Two weeks gives Francesca that much more time to try to sink her claws into us. And it wouldn’t give us much wiggle room to get back on time,”

“We can make it,” Prisha insisted. “This is the chance of a lifetime. If I have to deal with Francesca for 14 more days to make this happen, it’s worth it. Please, believe me when I say I know we can do this!”

In the end, they all agreed that the glasses were too great of an asset to give up on. Come hell or high water, they would see this thing through.

\---

Francesca certainly did all she could to make their life a living hell. Guards upon them at all times. Following them down the street, standing at the entrance to the library on days when they continued their research, standing on the periphery of every conversation they have with anyone in Johnstown. The trio had already been careful with their words so not much needed to change in their behavior. It was more of a scare tactic than anything else, something to remind them that she was always watching and that things could change at any second.

They also had to “pick up the slack” caused by their staying in Johnstown and continue to do cleanup tasks. They refused to do anything outside the gates, partially out of fear that they would not be let back in and the entire journey would be for nothing, but also because they did not want to make enemies of any other communities in the surrounding area by taking part in the Deliverance’s forays into “fresh territory”. Instead they stuck to clearing out more walkers from abandoned areas of Johnstown, often working alone, sometimes working with the cleanup crews, Johnstown convicts that might as well be on death row considering the situations Francesca put them in. Thankfully Francesca seemed determined to keep them alive for her own pleasure at this point, so they were often placed in ancillary roles clearing areas that were less overrun with walkers. That didn’t prevent them from having a few close calls though.

All work was focused toward one goal: reclaiming the manufacturing district. It was clear that Francesca’s objective was to gain access to the means to mass-produce weaponry by way of the factories. The implications of the future of the area if she was successful in this endeavor were chilling. Oftentimes the girls would feel a lingering sense of guilt as they did the work, moving Francesca closer to her deadly goal. They could only pray that the machinery Francesca hoped to find within the manufacturing district was damaged beyond repair or simply did not exist.

There had also been further dinner parties. Nothing as horrific as a public execution had happened at any of the later ones, but there was still an elaborate game of cat and mouse with every single one. Francesca would make biting remarks about each of them, insert innuendo at every corner, and bring up the fact that this “friendly” relationship she had going with them could crash and burn at any second. Sometimes they wondered if Francesca enjoyed the art of the bluff more than delivering on her threats, but there were enough real obstacles thrown in their way to give every hostile suggestion that Francesca made a veneer of believability.

Thankfully these dinners did not occur every night. The nights that they had off, the girls would spend in the relative privacy of their provided apartment. They couldn’t speak freely there for fear that Francesca had found a way to bug the apartment, but they were still able to use this time for rest and silent reflection. Prisha would take off her brace and sit down on the couch. Violet would soon join her, resting her head in Prisha’s lap and softly humming as Prisha played with her hair. Clementine would take the armchair across from them, peeling her prosthetic off and examining the damage her stump had received today. Having it on at all times created bruises and blisters all along the base of the stump where it met the prosthetic. It was becoming harder each day to hide the limp that was forming from the constant pain. She would clean any new wounds then ease her stump into the basin of hot water Violet and Prisha always set up for her, letting the warmth of the water dull the pain. Often the three of them would fall asleep in these positions, waking with the dawn to start another hellish day after a night of mercifully peaceful sleep.

\---

Each day was a gruesome victory, marked in blood, sweat and withheld tears as they waited to hear back from Dr. Edwin. When the promised date finally arrived for the glasses to be finished, they made their way to his office with trepidation, unsure whether they would finally receive what this entire journey had all been for or be left with nothing but shattered hopes. Dr. Edwin was waiting for them as they entered the building, smiling happily, a glasses case cradled in one hand. He waved them inside and motioned for Violet to sit down.

“I must say, this was quite the exciting challenge!” he chirped, opening the case and presenting the finished glasses with a flourish. “I’ve never had a patient with quite your history before, Ms. Violet, but it has been an absolute pleasure to work on these glasses for you. I can only hope that they will be cherished by you for the rest of your long and fruitful life,”

“Can I… try them on?” Violet looked apprehensive.

“Oh, yes, of course! Silly me, monologuing when I should be helping you with these!” He slid the glasses onto Violet’s face. They hadn’t talked with him at all about frames, but he had made a good choice. They were classic and understated, square lenses in a simple wire frame which rested well atop the bridge of Violet’s nose. “Now, remember my dear, these are bifocals. Because the damage to your corneas resulted in issues with both near and far sightedness, we had to address both issues with the lens. The top is for faraway dangers, the bottom for closeup details. So, how is it?”

“It’s a bit blurry,” There was an undertone of fear to Violet’s voice. Anything short of perfection would feel like a failure.

“Is the entire view blurry, or do the blurs stick more to the edges, sort of like colored lines surrounding the outlines of objects?”

“The second one,”

“No worries, my dear. That’s to be expected when you’re adjusting to a new prescription. You’ve gotten so used to living with your limited eyesight that your brain is now struggling to catch up with what your eye is now processing. Give it a minute. Try to stay still as movement will exacerbate the blurriness,”

“Violet,” Prisha began.

“I’m fine, okay? Violet snapped, holding up a hand as she focused her gaze on the other side of the room. “Just give me a minute. I’ll figure this out,”

“Sorry. Take all the time you need,”

“No, I’m sorry,” Violet mumbled.

“Let’s just give it a minute, OK?” Clementine put a supportive hand on Prisha’s shoulder. “We’ve made it this long. What’s a few more minutes?”

They waited in silence as the minutes passed, the only words coming from Dr. Edwin who was giving Violet directions on eyeglass maintenance, cleaning and protection. Eventually he ran out of things to say too and they all sat around awkwardly, not wanting to look as if they were staring at Violet, but unable to focus on anything else either.

Finally, Violet broke the silence. “I-I think it’s adjusted,”

“Wonderful!” Dr. Edwin exclaimed. “Now, let me just run a few quick tests. Follow my finger, alright?” He moved his finger from side to side, then toward Violet’s nose. She followed the motion perfectly. Dr. Edwin took a penlight from his pocket, repeating the same action. “Tell me, Violet, can you read the top line of letters on that wall?”

“Z… E…F… C ….D….B….R,” Violet read slowly.

Prisha let out a soft gasp.

“Is, is that right?” Violet asked, afraid to turn around.

“Yes, it is,” Prisha whispered. “It worked,”

“Prisha…” Violet reached out behind her with one hand. “Can you come here? I don’t want to fuck this up by moving my head too soon,”

“Of course,” Prisha made her way over to Violet. Dr. Edwin stepped away from the pair, standing by Clementine and watching the pair in respectful silence.

Prisha took Violet’s hand in her own. Slowly she came round to stand in front of Violet, kneeling down and looking up into her girlfriend’s face.

“Holy shit,” Violet murmured. She reached down, wiping a stray strand of hair from Prisha’s face. “You’re gorgeous.”

Prisha laughed, tears running freely. “You can see me. It really worked!”

Violet’s hand moved, gently caressing Prisha’s face as she leaned into the touch. “I never realized… I’d never seen your eyes. Not really,”

“You’ve never seen any of me fully then, have you?” Prisha quipped, wiping at her tears.

“I never realized how many details I was missing. This whole time I was just filling them in with guesses when really…” Violet’s voice became choked with emotion. “Seriously, how did I ever end up with someone as beautiful as you?”

Prisha reached her hand up to cover Violet’s. “Right back at you, Bright Eyes,”

Their attention was diverted from each other by a sudden loud sniffle. They both turned to see that Dr. Edwin’s eyes were wet with tears as well.

“Goodness, is this your first time seeing each other? To think that you’ve gone your whole relationship without this, why I – oh, I wish I didn’t need to save the tissues for medical visits!”

Clem’s eyes were shining as well. She and Violet looked at each other, taking the moment in.

“Long time no see, huh?” There was a smirk on Violet’s face.

“God, Louis is going to use that line so many times when we get back,”

“Louis!” Violet exclaimed. “Finally I’ll be able to see that stupid, freckled face clearly again. Fuck, I’ll be able to see everyone. I can see the greenhouse again, the stream, the sky…” She turned to Prisha, still holding her hand tightly in her own. “Let’s go home,”

New tears pricked the corners of Prisha’s eyes. “Yes, let’s,”

Violet stood up slowly, supported by Prisha who rose alongside her. Clementine lifted up Prisha’s backpack from the floor, stepping forward to help her get it on, then helped Violet with her own pack. They had packed everything the night before in hopes that this dream would actually come true. All that remained was the journey home. More than a hundred miles might lie before them, but that all seemed small in light of what they had achieved. They had actually done it. Violet could see again.

They were going home.


	12. Enemies on Every Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls have the glasses, but how will they escape?

After thanking Dr. Edwin profusely for all his hard work, the girls slipped out of the back door of the optometry office. Their chances of safely being let out of the front gate were minimal and the likelihood of finding a loose point in Johnstown’s perimeter security was next to zero. Their best bet was to enter the reclamation zone and find an abandoned sector they could sneak through to find an exit from Johnstown. It meant starting their trip covered in walker guts, but that was a small price to pay to avoid Francesca. They made their way silently through the streets of Johnstown, sticking to the borders and steadily making their way to the reclamation entry point.

They stopped a block short of the manufacturing district, slowing down their pace to a creep as they peered around buildings to see what lay ahead. Once they were in sight of the entrance, they were met with the worst sight possible. Francesca was waiting directly in front of the entrance with several guards flanking her on either side. She must have guessed that they would try to take an alternate route out of Johnstown. Clementine silently signaled for them to turn around. The front gate was the safer option after all.

“Is there a particular reason you three are spying on the manufacturing district?” They spun around to see Matthew, the guard from the first dinner party, standing behind them with his gun drawn. Tyrone stood beside them, his brow furrowed. There was no point in answering. “Francesca was asking for you,” Matthew motioned with his gun, forcing them out of hiding and onto the open street. Francesca immediately spotted them.

“Why girls, from the look of things it would appear that the three of you were attempting to run away,”

“Our time here is done,” Prisha answered. “We’ve done your work, and we received what we came here for. We have no more business in Johnstown,”

“I see,” Francesca looked Violet up and down. The glasses were on her face, held safely in place by an elastic band that wrapped round the back of her head. “It’s unfortunate you plan to leave so early. I have a special celebration dinner planned for tonight in honor of your success,”

“We need to be going,” Prisha’s tone was firm. “We can’t stay any longer than was needed,”

“Got people waiting back home for you? Perhaps I could spare some guards to accompany you and make sure you return safely. We wouldn’t want anything happening to you on your way back,”

“That won’t be necessary,”

Francesca’s smile was sickly sweet. “Oh, but I insist,”

Clementine stepped forward. “We’re leaving right now, Francesca. We’re exiting Johnstown, and that will be the last you see of us. It’s for the best, on both sides,”

“Is it now?” Francesca mocked. She turned to Prisha. “Honestly, at this point I would have expected you to learn your lesson and part ways with these fools,”

Prisha gritted her teeth. “These ‘fools’ are my friends, Francesca, which is more than you ever were to me. Whatever sick plans you had for me, they aren’t going to happen. You just need to accept that and move on,”

“Prisha, Prisha, Prisha,” Francesca shook her head, chuckling. “The game is never over. Sometimes all you need to do is reset the table, like so,” With that, she brandished her gun, firing off a shot before any of them could react. Everyone was frozen in shock. Confusion mounted as both groups looked at each in confusion. No one had fallen down or even cried out in pain. Where had the shot gone? All eyes followed the trajectory of Francesca’s down to Clementine’s left leg.

Francesca looked utterly baffled.

A quiet “What the fuck,” escaped one of the guard’s lips.

Clementine calmly began to walk forward. “I don’t take very kindly to people shooting at me. Now, before things escalate further, I want you to step aside and we’ll walk out of here,”

Francesca’s guards lifted their guns in warning. Francesca regained her temporary loss of composure, a snarl crossing her face as she lifted her gun once more. “Not sure how you pulled that off, but no matter. I won’t miss twice,”

Suddenly, a scream was heard from behind them at the entrance to the manufacturing district. Everyone looked to see a border guard getting his jugular ripped out by a walker, several walkers following close behind it.

“What the fuck?” Francesca shot the walker in the head, quickly taking out the one behind it. “How did they get that close to the border? Take them out, now!” The guards fired a spray of bullets through the gates, taking down the first wave of walkers. More could be seen behind them. “Close those gates!” Francesca ordered. “We need to stop this breach now! Collins, get the rest of the troops here now!”

Suddenly, an explosion rattled the ground underneath them, shattering the windows of the nearest warehouse in the reclamation zone. Smoke began pouring out of the windows and covering the yard. Seconds later, another explosion could be heard from further back within the manufacturing district. This went beyond human error. The sound of those explosions would draw out every walker from the uncleared section of Johnstown.

“We’re under attack!” Francesca shot another approaching walker. “Emerson, catch up with Collins! Let him know to divide the troops between here and the front gates! We need to be ready in case this is another community using this as a diversion to mount an attack! The rest of you hold the line! Let’s move!” As her soldiers ran to their positions, Francesca turned around, ready to call over another guard to detain Prisha and her friends.

All she saw before her though was an empty street.

\---

Prisha, Violet and Clementine made their way through the streets of Johnstown, looking for a place to hide long enough to make a plan of action. The apartment was out of the question. Francesca would likely send a guard or two there. The streets were already starting to flood with people, some trying to flee, others desperately searching for their loved ones. They were still ahead of the walkers, but they could hear the sounds of carnage coming closer from behind them. Whatever was going on, it was not being successfully contained.

“What the fuck even happened back there?” Violet asked. “Those explosions and the herd of walkers right by the gates doesn’t seem like a coincidence,”

Prisha made a scoffing noise. “My guess? Francesca finally pissed someone off enough for them to fight back. Whether they’re from a neighboring community she’s attacked or someone she’s wronged in Johnstown, I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter. Either way, the result is the same,”

“Over there,” Clementine gestured to the optometrist shop. “No one will be looking for us, and it should be fairly quiet,”

They made their way across the street, slipping in through the back door. As they opened the door, Dr. Edwin let out a little sound of surprise. “My goodness, you startled me! Back already? Don’t tell me there’s something wrong with the lens?”

Prisha shook her head. “Unfortunately, Doctor, our problems are of a different nature. There was a breach by the entrance to the manufacturing district. Walkers are flooding the city,”

“Oh dear, that is quite bad news,” Dr. Edwin mused. “And right when things were finally getting pleasant again here is Johnstown…”

“Do you need any help?” Violet asked. “We owe you. If you’d like, we could help you get out of here,”

Dr. Edwin raised a hand in protest, gently tutting. “That’s a lovely offer, Violet, but I won’t be leaving this shop. It took me too many years to finally find an office I can operate in again. I won’t be giving that up so easily,” He walked over to one of his display cases and reached down into the cupboard underneath. He emerged with a machine gun and an ammo belt clipped around his waist. Positioning the gun stand on top of the display case, he turned back to the girls. “I’ll be just fine here. You may stay as long as you like,” With that he turned back to the display case, rummaging in the cupboard once more.

Prisha, Clem and Violet shared a look of mild surprise before getting back to the matter at hand.

“We need to leave the city,” Prisha said, pulling out a map they had snuck from the tactics room. “Francesca has both gates covered so we’ll have to find an alternate route, and fast. We don’t want to be around whether the walkers or Johnstown wins this battle,”

Clementine pointed to a point on the map where the back wall separated unclaimed and restored Johnstown. “Our best bet is still to go through the back, just not through the main gates like we initially planned. There will be a ton of walkers, but hopefully we can avoid most of them since they’ll be heading toward the sounds of fighting in the manufacturing district,”

“Wait,” Violet interjected. “Didn’t you get shot? What the fuck happened back there? Can you scale a wall right now?”

Clem lifted her left pant leg. A bullet was imbedded within her prosthetic. “I guess keeping that information from Francesca paid off after all,”

Prisha’s expression was dark. “If we end up running into Francesca on our way out of here, I swear to God I will wring her neck myself. I’m done playing games,”

“As wonderful as that would be to watch, getting out is our priority. We need to avoid as many eyes as possible. We’ll stick to side streets till we reach the wall, then gut a walker and cross over,”

Violet rolled her eyes. “OK, but if we happen to see her from a distance, I’m borrowing your bow and using my regained eyesight to snipe her,”

“Deal,”

\---

After another minute or two of discussion, they wished Dr. Edwin good luck and headed back out onto the streets. Things were already worse than when they had entered. A dozen yards away, a walker was reaching out for an unarmed young woman. Prisha ran forward, impaling the walker’s skull with her axe. “Go inside that building,” she directed the young woman. “Dr. Edwin is well-armed. He’ll protect you,” After seeing the girl run inside the building, they made their way further down the street. Many of the citizens of Johnstown were armed and were taking matters into their own hands. Though the walkers kept coming, the tide of battle could very well turn at any moment. They had to move quickly.

It took longer than expected due to detours and protecting and redirecting stragglers toward Dr. Edwin’s office, but eventually they found themselves at the border wall. A desiccated walker crawling toward them made for an easy kill. They knelt around it, taking turns spreading the guts along each other’s backs and making sure they were all fully covered. Then they began walking alongside the wall, looking for a good place to scale it. It was a sturdy wall, built to last. Layers of sheet metal topped with barbed wire were all that met their eyes as they looked for a weak point to break through.

Suddenly, Prisha froze. Clementine and Violet followed her gaze to see a dark figure hidden within the shadows of one of the nearby buildings, the silhouette of a gun visible in their hands. They waited to see if they’d been spotted. The figure moved forward, but slung their gun to the side, lifting their hands and stepping out of the shadows. Tyrone.

“Prisha! Damn, am I glad to see you’re OK!”

“Hello, Tyrone,” Prisha’s hand still remained on her weapon as she watched her old comrade warily. Tyrone picked up on her body language, and his shoulders slouched.

“Don’t know how much this is worth, but I’m sorry I didn’t say anything back at the manufacturing district. I wasn’t expecting things to get so bad,”

“Well, Francesca’s nothing if not unpredictable, isn’t she?”

Tyrone shook his head and sighed. “I ain’t gonna pretend that I’m any sort of saint, but if that’s the way Francesca’s gonna play, I don’t want you three anywhere near here once the dust settles. Y’all looking for a way out?”

“That’s right,”

“I know another entrance to the unclaimed side of Johnstown. It’s too small for anyone to be guarding right now. I can take you there,”

The trio looked amongst themselves. Was it worth the risk to trust Tyrone?

Slowly, Prisha nodded her head. “Show us,”

Tyrone led them a few blocks along the wall before stopping in front of a building that was incorporated into the border wall. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a set of keys and flipped through them before finding the correct one and unlocking the door. “The building’s clear, but after that you’re on your own,”

“Thank you,” Prisha offered Tyrone her hand, shaking it firmly.

“Don’t mention it. Just stay safe, OK? Maybe someday we’ll meet under better circumstances,”

“Maybe,” Prisha let Clementine and Violet go through first. After she’d stepped through, Tyrone closed the door behind them. They all heard the lock click back into place.

They emerged from the building to find the abandoned remnants of unclaimed Johnstown. It looked like they were in some sort of shopping district, with stores lining both sides of the streets. There were at least a dozen walkers within view. In the distance to their right, a dull rumble could be heard as the battle for Johnstown continued. Some of the walkers seemed interested in the sound, wandering in the general direction of the noise. Others remained unaffected, swaying listlessly as they made their way along the street. The girls shared a look. They were outside the walls. A couple miles of town streets and they would be free. Then all that remained was the long journey home. This time rather than walking in a row they walked side by side, heading towards the sun as it rose in the morning sky.


	13. Home at Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Home sweet home <3

Evening was settling in at Ericson. Louis stared absentmindedly into the growing pile of potato peels in front of him on the table. Ruby and Aasim had just returned from hunting, so dinner should be ready in the next hour or so. Across the yard, Omar was directing Willy and A.J. on how to properly prepare the meat for tonight’s stew. That was it. That was all the people at Ericson right now. The deadline for the girls’ return was only a day away. If they weren’t back by tomorrow, what were they going to do? Send out a search party? Start the trek to Johnstown themselves? Board up Ericson and hope no one would come across it while they went out in the hopes of finding people who could still be over a hundred miles away?

Louis sighed as he began cutting his current potato into quarters, then cubes. It wasn’t often that he missed the old world. There wasn’t much point wishing for things that would never come back. But god, how he wished that telephones were still a thing right about now. To have no idea what was happening with his love and his best friend for two months had been a type of torment that he wouldn’t wish on anybody. Fuck it. If they weren’t back by sundown tomorrow, he was packing his bags and heading out into the forest himself. He didn’t care what the others had to say about it.

Suddenly, Garbage ran out from her spot sleeping at Willy’s feet and began hissing frantically. Rosie perked up her ears and began barking too, racing toward the front gate. Everybody looked up from what they had been doing.

A.J. was the first to spot them. “Clem!” he cried, sprinting toward the front gate. Louis followed a second behind him. Reaching the front gate, they could see three silhouettes making their way up the path toward Ericson. A.J. threw open the gate, running as fast as he could down the path. One of the figures stumbled forward to meet him. Clementine. An exclamation of joy erupted from Louis as he dashed out to greet them. The distance was closed in seconds. Clementine knelt before him, smothering A.J. in a bear hug. Prisha stood smiling beside her, while on her other side… For the first time in years, Violet and Louis locked eyes. Holy shit. They had actually done it. They had found the glasses. Violet could see again. Louis felt tears burning his eyes as he stood speechless before his lifelong friend.

Violet smirked at him good-naturedly. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

Louis immediately enveloped her in a hug, crushing her to himself before frantically readjusting to make sure that he hadn’t crushed her glasses. The tears were spilling out now. Sobbing, Louis clung to Violet, feeling her small arms wrap around him. She was safe. She was smiling. She was home. Pulling back, he finally got a look at her with enough composure to really take her in for the first time. She looked skinnier and dirtier than ever, but also happier than he’d seen in forever. “Long time no see,” he whispered, a breathless chuckle escaping his lips.

Violet rolled her eyes. “God, I knew you would say that. You know, Clem and I had a running bet our whole time back on how long it would take you to come up with that line,”

Clementine. Louis spun around to look beside him. Clementine and A.J. were animatedly talking, already filling each other in on what had happened while they were gone. Clementine paused though as she sensed his eyes. She looked up at Louis, and the expression in her eyes was full of so much emotion that Louis felt the tears welling up once more. He collapsed beside Clementine, taking her and A.J. into his arms in the best family hug he could remember. He could feel Clementine sinking into him, the exhaustion of her long journey finally taking effect on her. Gently, he cupped her chin, bringing her lips up to his in a deep kiss. He wasn’t sure how long they remained like that, pushing into each other, communicating the agony of separation in every caress. By the time they pulled apart, Louis felt as though his head was spinning. Was this a dream? No, she was here. They were finally back. This was real.

Someone was wailing. Louis looked up to see Willy, his face buried against Prisha’s stomach, uncontrollably sobbing. Prisha smiled in happy confusion at the welcome, gently rubbing his back in an effort to comfort him. Aasim came alongside her and gave her a hug while Ruby was doting over Violet, exclaiming how cute the glasses looked on her. Only Omar remained inside the school. Louis couldn’t believe he was that committed to his goddamn stew to let this moment pass him by.

He and Clementine locked eyes again. Rising to his feet, Louis pulled Clementine up alongside him. She was completely exhausted. It reminded him of the last time she’d returned when he had never expected to see her again, carrying A.J. in her arms and collapsing in exhaustion in front of Ericson’s gates. Now she had Louis and A.J. on either side of her as she began to slowly limp forward, struggling to make her way inside. Part of Louis wanted to pick her up, but he could see from the glint of determination in her eyes that she wanted to make these last few steps of her journey herself.

The group ushered the girls through the gate, closing it behind them as twilight began to fully set in. Violet took a long look around the grounds, taking it all in. “Yep, same rotting shithole we left,” Her smile betrayed her fondness though.

“Prisha! Prisha!” Willy exclaimed, his tears having dried upon his face in his newfound excitement. “Wait till you see what I’ve been working on! You’re gonna be so surprised!”

“Is that right, squirt?” Prisha tousled his messy hair. “I can’t wait! I brought back something for you as well that I’m sure you’re gonna love!”

“Presents can wait!” Ruby scolded, peeling the packs off of the girls’ backs as she scurried about them. “First, let’s eat! I bet y’all must be starving after weeks of having nothing but dried provisions to eat! Omar, get your patoot over here and say hello!”

The group hurried over to the main picnic table, all squishing together onto the two benches. Omar came over and said hello to Prisha, Violet and Clementine, then let them know that dinner would be ready in 20 minutes and no, it couldn’t be done any faster than that. Everyone was talking over each other, bursting with questions and stories to tell. Despite all the talking, it was clear that nothing much of substance would be communicated tonight.

Clementine rested her head against Louis’ shoulder, barely stifling a yawn. Louis wrapped his arm around her waist protectively. A.J. was sitting at her side, but was wrapped up in telling the others a story with Willy about the welcome home play they had been working on. As Clementine’s eyelids fluttered closed, Louis placed a tender kiss to her forehead. She murmured appreciatively, shifting in his arms. Her eyes slowly opened, taking in the group’s chatter with a look of utter contentment.

“So,” Louis ventured, “How was the trip?”

Clementine let out a small sigh. “The world’s still shit,” She nuzzled her face against his shoulder, snuggling deeper. “It’s good to be home,”

“Welcome home, Clem,” Louis whispered, feeling her shoulders go slack against him. “Sleep well. You’ve earned it,”


End file.
